Have you ever been responsible for planning a wedding dinner or some special event that involves food? Not only is there care taken in getting just the right venue, but hours are spent with the caterers tasting what they plan to serve. The feasting comes later. What is tasted is only a sample of what is to come. The writer to the Hebrews uses this expression when talking about building on a firm foundation and growing into maturity. He talks about tasting of the heavenly gift, (which is the Holy Spirit), of tasting the goodness of the Word of God and of tasting the powers of the age to come. (Hebrews 6:5) This “tasting” is not the contemplating of a doctrine but are the subjective experiences a believer has in this present life.
All who have believed in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour have tasted of the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul writes that we were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit as a “guarantee” of what is to come. (1:13-14) The Greek word used here is arrabon, which denotes a deposit, pledge, or down payment. What is being said is that there is more to come. In modern Greek it means an engagement ring. What we have experienced of the Holy Spirit in this life is just an appetizer. One day we will feast with Him at the marriage supper of the LAMB. Can’t you just wait until mortality is swallowed up into immortality?
Another appetizer to taste is the goodness of the Word of God. The Word of God is God speaking to us about Himself and about His purpose for all of creation. The Bible is like a road map that leads us to God and a recipe book for experiencing His good and perfect Will here on the earth. Genuine believers have an appetite for the Word of God. The more they taste, the more they want. I have always been an avid reader, but after I received the Lord into my life, I just couldn’t get enough of the Bible. There was a time I doubted the Bible’s infallibility and continually judged it according to my experience or rationale. By doing this, my faith dried up and the experience of God’s goodness escaped me. I had to make a decision to believe the Word of God, in its entirety, and to seek revelation of what I did not understand. Romans 10:17 says: “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of God.”
The next on this sample plate is the power of the age to come. Before tasting this, let us ask ourselves: What is in this future age? Well, in Isaiah 11, the Bible says that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. (v.9) The book of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah in revealing that sin will be removed and we will know the Lord as He really is; no more speculations. (8:12) Jeremiah also says that everything that causes us to stumble will be taken out of the way. (31:9) Hebrews also quotes Psalms 8 in saying that all the powers of the enemy will be subject to us. (2:6-8) The writer goes on to say is that we don’t see it all subject now, but we will. Now this is a little difficult to understand because Jesus gave believers authority to tread over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:18-19) What He gave us is a down payment of what is to come.
To sum this up, let me quote Watchman Nee: “If we possess salvation and eternal life in the present, … then we should also be knowing some foretaste today of the rest of these powers.” Our faith is not to be a mere intellectual acceptance of Biblical doctrines, but an experience of Heaven on earth. By tasting, not only is our appetite awakened but we have the assurance that more is to come. “Taste and see that the Lord is Good.” (Psalms 34:8)
Scriptures to meditate on:
Hebrews 6:5; 8:6-9; 1 Peter 1:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:53