Milk

A symbolic word study

The bible doesn’t always mean what it says, but it always says what it means. That’s a
strange statement isn’t it! The bible is full of symbolic meaning and allegorical writings.
Many proverbs have duel meanings. There are hidden treasures or hidden meanings in the
word of God that are not obvious to all. These hidden treasure’s are not that hid, in
essence they are an ‘open secret’ available to all who seek. To get this biblical ‘wisdom’
we must be willing to dig to find it. Looking at one word all the way through the bible or
studying by subject can be very beneficial. This lesson is an example of how to do a word
study. Let’s try to figure out the symbolic meaning of the word ‘milk’. God conceals
wisdom, and it is an honor for man to be able to search it out. Before we get into our
lesson I want you to connect the next two scriptures because they are relevant to our
subject.

Hebrews 12:22-23 But ye are come unto the mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumberable company of angels, to the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which is written in heaven, and to God the Judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.

I want you to notice that Sion or Zion is called

1. The heavenly Jerusalem.
2. The general assembly and church.

Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Jerusalem, which is above or the church is mother of us all. So would you agree the
church is the mother to the saints? This is important because as we shall see a good
mother feeds her children. In this lesson we want to look at the word ‘milk’ and see if we
can find the symbolic meaning of the word. Now of course every where we see the word
‘milk’ in the bible you can’t always apply the symbolic meaning sometimes when it says
milk its in the literal sense. But in this scripture milk is symbolic.

Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand
doctrine? them that are drawn from the milk, and weaned from the breasts.

The question is whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to
understand doctrine? ‘Them that are drawn from the milk, and weaned from the breasts.’
(strange wording). Symbolically the ‘breasts of the church’ are the Old & New
Testaments, the word of God. Consider what the apostle Peter wrote.

1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby.
We should desire the sincere understanding of the word of God like a newborn desires
milk. The ‘milk’ is a symbolic similitude for the word of God. It doesn’t make any
difference how long an individual has been studying the word of God, we should
approach the word of God as a little child, in other words we need to be teachable and
have an open mind. Let’s see what the apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews of his time,
who were the most learned people in the word of God.

Hebrews 5:11-14 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye
are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Paul shows us two levels of biblical understanding, milk & meat. When Paul wrote this it
was not divided into chapter and verse. If we will keep on reading into the sixth chapter
he will tell us what ‘milk’ is.

Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on
unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead,
and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.

Paul gives us a list of the six foundational doctrines of the Christian Faith. The first two
are repentance and faith, when we have repented and realize that God is a real person,
where do we go from there? We learn the four major doctrines or drink ‘milk’ so we can
grow thereby. Paul called these things ‘the foundation’ they are the basic tenets of the
faith.

Everyone that has been a Christian for a few years should be able to out of the bible
explain these ‘things’.

1. Baptisms notice it’s in the plural; there are three baptisms for the Christian. John the
Baptist tells us what they are in.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed (1.) baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall (2) baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, (3) and with fire.

2. Laying on of hands, who is to lay hands on whom, and for what purposes? In a sense
I’m laying hands on you now.
3. Resurrection of the dead, this lesson covers questions like, what happens to a person
when they die? If we go straight to heaven what need is there for a resurrection? Has
anyone else other than Jesus resurrected? With what body do the dead rise? What’s the
difference between the first resurrection and the second resurrection? As we read in the
next scripture.

Revelation 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years.

4. Eternal judgment, what does it mean to be eternally judged? Has anyone already been
eternally judged? Can I now be eternally judged? Where does judgment begin? And
who does the judging? And in the scripture we just read why was judgment given unto
that group of people? And what does this next scripture mean?

1 Timothy 5:24 Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and
some men they follow after.

‘Milk’ or the simple things of the faith sure bring about many different questions. So we
all need to be taught. Qualified men of God who believed in mingling their wine taught
me these things.
We need to be teachable and not like the Corinthian church, even though they had the
great apostle Paul among them he could not teach them the deeper things of God because
they were to carnal or unspiritual.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 ¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as
unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able.

Let’s look at some more ‘milk’ scriptures. The next scripture is a prophecy of Jesus.

Genesis 49:10-12 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Our last scripture is an Old Testament prophetic description of Jesus Christ. See what I
mean about symbolic language. Notice it says his teeth are not white as milk but white
with milk. Wine is symbolic of the Spirit of God, milk is symbolic of the word of God.
Jesus also partook of spiritual ‘milk’. The Song of Solomon is to be read in a feminine
voice or persona, from the perspective of the church yearning for her lover, the LORD.

Song of Solomon 5:12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed
with milk, and fitly set.

In Genesis 49 it says ‘his eyes shall be red with wine’ yet here they are ‘washed with
milk’. An interesting word study is wash, cleanse, and purify. It is important to wash our
eyes with the ‘milk of the word’ it will make us ‘see’ differently.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The LORD desires to sanctify his church, sanctify means to make holy. How? With the
washing of the water of the word of God. The words ‘milk’ and ‘water’ here are speaking
of the same thing. If we allow our minds to be washed with the word of God it will purify
our souls. The apostle Peter says, ‘purify’ your souls in obeying the truth.

1 Peter 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever.

You hear many people talk of being ‘born again’ of the Spirit of God, but you don’t ever
hear any mention about being ‘born again’ of the word of God, yet we have to be born of
both the word and the Spirit, this is true communion.

John 6:53-56 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him
up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Again strange symbolic language ‘eating his flesh and drink his blood.’

No wonder the religious leaders of his day were horrified, to a practicing Jews this
sounded like cannibalism which was unlawful and unacceptable. But Jesus was speaking
symbolically. The flesh Jesus was talking about is the word of God; the blood represents
the Spirit of God. The Word was made flesh. As seen in John the first chapter.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh ,and, dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus speaking.

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

What we just read about is true communion. How does the eating of a piece of bread and
drinking juice profit one in God? It’s only a ritual. But every time we partake of the Spirit
of God such as in prayer and every time we study the Word we grow in God, when we
read the scriptures we are ‘communing’ with God. Rituals may have their place but
rituals don’t make one righteous. In the next scripture we will read, again symbolically
the wine is the Spirit of God and the milk is the word of God.

Isaiah 55:1-3 ¶ Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no
money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that
which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let
your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

This is a wonderful setting of scripture. Do you remember in the beginning of this lesson
I said we have to dig for the treasures in the word. Here it says ‘buy’ yet without money.
How do we ‘buy’ the truth? With our time and dedication in the word of God and
applying those precepts in our lives. How do we ‘sell’ the truth? By not living up to it, if
you don’t do what you know is right then you’ve sold out. Remember what Peter wrote?
‘Purify your souls in obeying the truth’.

The next scripture we’ve read once before. This is the scripture this lesson was built
upon.

Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand
doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

The dictionary says doctrine is ‘something taught, especially the principles of religion.’
The people who will acquire this spiritual knowledge and understanding are going to be
weaned on the foundational or principle teachings of the Christian faith.
In this next scripture the woman is the church. Woman is the symbolic word for church
this will be our next word study because it really correlates with ‘milk’.
In the next reading the scripture is in italics and my comments in regular type. I removed
verse numbers for this setting.

Isaiah 66:7-13 Before she (the church) travailed (in persecution). she brought forth (on
the day of Pentecost); before her pain came, she was delivered of a manchild (perfect
overcomers of the early church).
Who hath heard such a thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall
a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed (remember Hebrews 12:22?,
Zion = the church, also reference Isaiah 1:27) she brought for her children.
Shall I bring to birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to
bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. Rejoice ye with (the heavenly)
Jerusalem and be glad with her, all ye that love her, all ye that mourn for her: That ye
may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts (Old & New Testaments) of her
consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with abundance of her glory. For
thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the
Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and
shall be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort
you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Spiritual Jerusalem)

Isn’t this an interesting setting of scripture? This is obviously speaking of the church and
it’s speaking of the day when the church was born. She gave birth before she ever felt the
labor pains. This happened on the day of Pentecost when the 120 received the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. These are the first people to ‘be born again’. This can be read in Acts 2.
Zion as we saw in the beginning of the lesson in Hebrews 12:22 is the church. Notice the
line ‘that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations that ye may
milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory’. As I said earlier the breasts
of the church are the Old & New Testaments or the source of our ‘milk’ that we may
(spiritually) grow thereby. They are the nourishment of our soul. There is nothing more
important for the people of God than the word of God. The word of God is the mind of
God. The word of God is the ladder between heaven and earth. Read it even if you don’t
understand it. Listening to the bible on audio is helpful if you are unfamiliar with it. You
have to know what it says before you can know what it means. Now we know the
symbolic meaning of the word ‘milk’ is the foundational doctrines of Christ. Baptisms,
laying on of hands, eternal judgment and the resurrection of the dead. This is a ‘key’, get
enough ‘keys’ and you can unlock the deeper mysteries of the word of God.

Copyright © 2010 J. Wilder & The Wilder Family Trust dated 2/13/04

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