Honey and the Bible

What could possibly be sweeter and more satisfying than a teaspoon of honey? Maybe a taste straight from the jar doesn’t appeal to you. But think of the various ways you can add honey into food: baklava, oatmeal, granola, or even honey ham.  And don’t forget a squirt of honey in a cup of hot lemon tea when you’re battling a head cold and the ensuing, lingering cough.

There’s something so fundamental about honey, as basic as bread itself. Something so emotionally satisfying that reaches to the core of our existence and anchors us to the scope of human history. The bonus package is that this wonderful tasting stuff is good for you; in fact, mankind has known about its beneficial properties for millennia.

Here are some fun facts about honey you may not know.

• One bee produces 1 ½ teaspoons of honey in its lifetime.
• Honey does not spoil.
• Honeybees are not indigenous to North America.
• Even though honey is sweet, it is also acidic; that’s why it has a long shelf life.
• There are over 300 varieties of honey.
• Honey acts as a preservative. That’s why I use it in bread baking.
• Honey dates back to 3000 BC in Egypt – it was used for embalming and as an antibiotic, a sweetener, and a gift to the gods. So valuable, it was used as currency in the ancient Roman Empire.

What does honey have to do with God’s Word?

• Honey is mentioned 62 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Other than fruit it was the only available sweetener in Bible times. Our common sweeteners like sugar cane, corn syrup, and maple syrup were unheard of.
• Canaan, the Promised Land, was described as the land of “milk and honey” which would be understood as a land of prosperity.
• Israel’s honey would have come from wildflowers and thistle, which has a strong flavor.

Finally, the Bible talks about the desirability of honey. In fact, it makes the bold claim that God’s Word is sweeter than honey. To the ancients, that claim would have sounded preposterous. It would be like someone telling chocolate lovers that something is better than chocolate.

Check out these Bible verses:

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 118:103)

“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10)

Benefits of God’s Word

There’s more to that word sweeter than merely how sweet something tastes. Remember that ancient people valued honey for its many economic and medical benefits. In the same way, reading the message of the Bible does far more than sit well with our emotional palate. Psalm 19:7-10 shows me these benefits:

• Source of truth
• Source of wisdom
• An account of God’s faithfulness
• The Bible is an Insider look at God’s character and work

How do I grow to savor God’s Word?

Is it possible to reach the point of finding delight as we read the Bible? To move beyond an intellectual acceptance that “this is good for me, to actually crave engaging with God’s Word?

When we treat Bible reading as a set time and a set amount of time, another item on our to do list, it’s all too easy to view it as a ritual, something we must do. If you want to find delight in God’s Word, that’s not enough. Just as we cannot survive spiritually on an hour a week for worship, so we cannot survive on just 10 minutes or even one hour a day in bible reading and then move on to other things. We will find delight in God’s truth when we integrate His word into all our waking hours.

How do I engage in God’s Word?

Here are some ways you can engage at a deeper level with God’s Word and let it seep into the rest of your day.

Study – go deeper into what you read. Make your devotional time more than the mere reading of a passage once. Take notes, Compare versions. Compare other references. Check out Bible maps. Read it a second time. Pause and think about what you have read.

Meditate – Ponder what you’ve read throughout your day. Like a cow chewing its cud, ruminate and think deeply about each phrase. Chew it apart, word by word. Like savoring and lingering over a delicious bite of your favorite flavor of pie or a well grilled piece of meat, you’ll release the flavor of the verse into your life and you will find yourself reveling in the deeper meaning you have discovered.

Respond – Listen to your mental reactions as you read. These might include:

• “Yeah!” – You get it. You understand. You’ve experience that yourself. Worship God for your new understanding.
• “But . . .” – Your mind is asking questions. Write those questions down to search out the answers or ask a Bible teacher later.
• “Wow!” – You want to pause and worship the God who could do such great things.
• “Yes, Lord” – You’re feeling challenged about what you need to do differently and you’re ready to tell God you want to obey Him.
• “Help!” – Turn your reading into a time of prayer. Make it an interactive time. Direct your thoughts to God as if He is sitting in the chair next to you.

Apply – Before you close your Bible, what will you do today with what you’ve read?

As you read, ask yourself: 

• What does it say?
• What does it Mean?
• What does it mean to me?

Not there yet?

Still not sensing the emotional response of craving or satisfaction? PRAY! ask God to change your heart and help you grow in your delight for His Word.

As time goes by, you’ll find that the wisdom you find in God’s Word truly is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. Nothing on this earth can quite compare to the long lasting satisfaction you find within its pages.