By John Grant
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“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb�. Psalms 19:9-10
There has always been a lot of honey at our house. It is one of my favorite terms of endearment for my wife. It’s Biblical, from the Song of Solomon Song 4:11 “Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride.� And then last year we got a new puppy. Because her coat was the color of honey, Beverley named her “Honey.� So now, when I come home and call for Honey, both come running.
Our shelves have always been stocked with honey. It is good on pancakes, in peanut butter sandwiches and sometimes it’s fun to squeeze the honey bear and put some on a spoon. Even the dog likes that.
But, recently, we got more honey at our house than we wanted. I was walking in the front yard when I spied a large black circle on the eaves of the house. A closer examination revealed that a colony of bees had taken up residence. I wondered what to do, as there were more than I could handle with a fly swatter. So, my bride consulted the yellow pages and found a bee removal expert.
After tearing off a portion of the house, we found a colony estimated to be about twenty thousand bees and a tremendous construction of honeycomb that contained nearly two gallons of honey. The bees and the honeycomb are now gone, but I learned a lot about bees in the process. I also recalled that honey is mentioned more than sixty times in the Bible, so there must be a spiritual parallel.
I thought of Sampson’s riddle about the bees and honey in the lion’s carcass. Solomon talked about the honeycomb being like pleasant words sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. I remembered how many times Israel is described as the land of milk and honey. The book of Judges asks “What is sweeter than honey?� Proverbs contains many references to the value and delight of eating some, but not too much honey.
But, to me the most meaningful Biblical reference to honey is in Psalm 19 where the psalmist compares the sweetness of honey to the teachings of the Lord, describing them as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. This parable compares something that people could not see or taste with something they understood…. the value of gold and the sweetness of honey.
So, the next time you taste the sweetness of honey, remember that sweet as it is, it is not a sweet or as valuable as God’s Holy Word, which is the sweetest and most valuable of all on heaven and earth.
(a thought on life from John Grant)
You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/06/16/jg_honey/
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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker. He can be reached by e-mail at: John.Grant@johngrant.net