The Flavor of God

I’m going through Hebrews twice, on purpose, to see more clearly how the whole of the book connects. I found my mind and eyes wandering this morning, though, eventually landing on a wall in my kitchen thinking about décor. I have a wooden sign with a verse from Psalms inscribed on it: Taste and see that the Lord is good (34:8). I love this sign! I love the shape of it, the colors (a deep cranberry and a creamy buttercream – perfect for a kitchen!), and especially the font. I’m very particular with fonts… I also love the sentiment of the verse, but what I realized this morning was this isn’t just a cookie recipe type of a verse!

I catch myself wandering from my morning Scripture reading and pull my eyes back to my lap, where my Bible is open to Hebrews six. In this chapter the reader is encouraged to pursue maturity in their faith beyond the basic facts of the gospel because there is so much more! This is a chapter I’ve always struggled with, honestly, because it poses an argument whether or not a believer can be brought back to repentance once they’ve believed and then rejected Christ in their life. However, that’s not the context that caught my attention this morning. Verses four and five also use the imagery of taste:

Those who have tasted the heavenly gifts
Those who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age

It’s important to understand that the book of Hebrews is layered with proofs on who God is and why we can believe him – why we have the hope to continue persevering in our faith through the duration of our long and complicated lives. In two places in this book we are told to fix our thoughts/gaze on Jesus. And now, having been reminded again and again in Hebrews of the authority and character of Christ, there appears the imagery of taste – and just after having been distracted by my lovely wooden sign in the kitchen!

I decided to flip back to Psalms 34:8 and read the whole of chapter 34 to see what the context of taste is there. Should I be surprised? It’s in the context of persevering with the Lord through the troubles of life. Here is the whole “taste” verse:

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

The very next verse has a truth that is also reinforced in the book of Hebrews, but I digress…

Next to verse eight (the “taste” verse) I see that I have written 1 Peter 2:1-3 in the margin, so I flip there to see how these verses relate to Hebrews 6:4-5 and Psalms 34:8. The second verse starts with a similar theme as the end of Hebrews 5 and the beginning of Hebrews 6:

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted and seen the Lord is good.

This concept, this truth, of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good has always resonated deeply with my soul because the tasting is the experience of his goodness through trials and troubles, and in celebrations and the mundane. I am always saying, “God loves you and he proves it in the details.” Isn’t that where the flavor is when you taste something? In the details of the ingredients? But not only the choice of ingredients, but the portion, also?

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

So what I loved in Hebrews 6:4-5 is that the author expounds on the “recipe” of the Lord’s goodness: