Lessons Learned from a Pomegranate
By Mallory Thomason
This year during Rosh HaShanah my three year old experienced great joy eating pomegranate seeds straight from the fruit. She loved separating out the sections, peeling back the layers and delicately pulling each individual seed. She equally enjoyed the burst of flavor as she ate the seeds by fistfuls. Eating a fresh pomegranate requires some effort, especially for little fingers! Her eagerness to continue to peel and dig until she had found and eaten every last pearl was delightful. Do we approach God’s Word the same way?
How sweet is Your word to my taste—yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get discernment, therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104, TLV
The Word of God is sweet. Similar to all foods that contain sugar, the more I read, the more I want to read. Then I begin to meditate and chew on those passages which leads me to search for additional passages. The more I engage, the more I desire and the more I need daily sustenance to satisfy my longing for the Lover of my Soul. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite and cherished books. In it he wrote, “The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”
The angel of Adonai encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good Adonai is. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Fear Adonai, His kedoshim, For those who fear Him lack nothing. Young lions may lack, and go hungry, but those who seek Adonai want for no good thing. Proverbs 3:7-11, TLV
In Joshua 1:8, Joshua exhorted the children of Israel, “This book of the Torah should not depart from your mouth—you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will be successful.” (TLV) God seems to be saying there are great blessings available for those who spend time searching, receiving and applying the truths from Scripture in their lives. He has given us the path to life and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11, TLV). What better way to be in the presence of God than by reading His word!
We continued to enjoy pomegranates throughout this year’s High Holy Day Festivals. When we went to the store she would select additional fruits specifically to share with important people in her life. She had tasted and experienced something good and she wanted others to experience the same goodness. Charles Spurgeon once said, “There is no knowing the value of God’s Word till you eat it for yourself. You must personally believe it, personally trust to it, personally receive it into your innermost spirit, or else you cannot know anything about its power to bless and sustain!” And once we have experienced the rich nourishment from the Scriptures, let us share these life giving truths with others.