When people read where Moses described the land of Israel as a “land flowing with milk and honey,” (Deuteronomy 6:3) many have no idea how very real a description this is for Israel today. Israel has become one of the leading nations in the production of methods and technologies for agricultural advancement and environmental protection.

First of all, Israel is quite literally “flowing with milk,” having the most productive dairy cows in the world (Shamah, David, The Times of Israel, May 17, 2012)! Israeli scientists have discovered a way of using their knowledge of genetics to breed the most productive cows in the world. Israel has also exported this knowledge to many nations.

Though not directly related to the “honey” side of things, Israel is also interestingly using bees to naturally pollinate in greenhouses and fields, as well as using other insects in place of chemicals to consume harmful bugs and bacteria. This is a revolutionary idea that has taken root and grown internationally, begun by the Israeli company Biobee. Now, about 60% of California strawberries are grown using the biobee method (Klein Leichman, Avigail, Israel 21x, May 10, 2012).

One of Israel’s primary areas of expertise, and for good reason, is in water management. Since much of Israel is desert, water is a precious resource that cannot be wasted. For this reason, Israelis pioneered such water technologies as drip irrigation, recycling wastewater and using trays to reuse the condensation out the air for agricultural purposes. In addition, Israel is on the forefront of developing desalination plants to convert salt water into potable fresh water. And for those who think that Israelis and Palestinians cannot cooperate on anything, as the media portrays, quite often, these water technologies or projects are joint ventures between Palestinians and Israelis since water is scarce for all in the region. One such project is a joint venture in which an Israeli scientist and a Palestinian scientist are developing a technology to improve water purification methods for the region by combating the bacteria and microbes that gather on the surface of equipment used to purify water (Kahn Hoffman, Gilah, Israel 21c, October 3, 2010).

Israel is also a leader in solar technology due to the plentiful sunlight in the region. In Israel, most homes receive hot water via solar energy and only use electricity when there is not sufficient sunlight, leading to abundant energy savings. This, in addition to the immense amount of research on alternative energy for the world, has drawn many leaders and businesses to Israel looking for environmentally friendly alternatives, though you will not hear this in the media very often.

These are just a few ways that Israel is on the cutting edge of agricultural and environmental technologies. However, it could only be due to God’s wisdom that Israel has successfully seen the land blossom. Much of this is actually a fulfillment of several prophecies. In Ezekiel 36:9-11, God tells Israel, “I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will cause many people to live on you- yes, all of Israel…I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” God said that it would be a testimony to His name that Israel would prosper and grow. At the moment, it is a testimony to His name among the nations, though the people of Israel are still yet to recognize Him.

Another prophecy that seems especially relevant to Israel’s advances with water and irrigation is in Isaiah 41:18-20. God says that, “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the Hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Again, in Isaiah 51:3, the prophet says that, “The Lord…will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.”

God makes it very clear in these prophecies that it is for His name’s sake that He has accomplished this. Israel is His instrument to make His name known and it is the LORD who deserves the glory, for it is God alone who has done this. Yet, He also is honoring His promises and covenant with Israel and promised that He would both restore them to the land and restore them spiritually. Now, we are continuing to wait for the most important of the two-the spiritual restoration of Israel!

Bibliography

Kahn Hoffman, Gilah. “Israeli-Palestinian Team to Develop Clean Water Solutions.” Israel 21c. (October 3, 2010) http://israel21c.org/environment/israeli-palestinian-team-to-develop-clean-water-solutions/

Klein Leichman, Avigail. “The Top 12 Ways Israel Feeds the World.” Israel 21c (May 10, 2012)
http://israel21c.org/technology/the-top-12-ways-israel-feeds-the-world/

Shamah, David. “Thousands Flock to Israel’s ‘Woodstock of Agricultural Technology’” The Times of Israel (May 17, 2012) http://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-flock-to-israels-woodstock-of-agricultural-technology/