From Grant To You – Sweeter Than Honey

posted by Navigators on November 8th, 2024 in Blog | Gospel | The Word

Dear Friend,

When I was a kid I got a bad dose of bronchitis. I used to get chest infections a bit, but this was really bad. So my mum took me to the doctor and he prescribed some strong medicine. It was black, quite thick and absolutely horrible to drink! I would swallow it down and immediately have something nice to take away the taste. But I drank it because it was necessary to get better – and it did get me better.

Necessary, helpful, but not something I longed to have. Am I the only one who sometimes feels that way about the Word of God? Taking my medicine, reading it out of duty rather than passion.

Psalm 119:72 says: “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” And Psalm 19:9,10 says: “The law of the Lord … is to be desired more than much fine gold”.

So if you have a choice between the Word of God and gold, choose the Word of God. If you have a choice between the Word of God and much gold, choose the Word of God. If you have a choice between the Word of God and much fine gold, choose the Word of God. The benefits of knowing and having the Word of God are greater than all that money can buy. Do you believe that?

Psalm 19:10 goes on to say: The law of the Lord is “sweeter than the drippings of honeycomb”. Honey was the sweetest of all substances and was regarded as an article of luxury in biblical times, or as most pleasurable to the taste. But David is saying, the Word of God is even better than this because it’s sweeter than the drippings of honeycomb – the honey that drops from the combs which is pure honey. See, honey which is pressed from the combs will almost inevitably have in it some bee-bread and bits of the combs themselves. But the drippings, that which naturally flows from the comb, will be pure. The Word of God is sooo desirable, more than much fine gold and more than sweet, sweet honey.

Is that how you feel about the Word of God? Oh, that we all would understand the true value of the Word of God that we desire it like much fine gold or the drippings of honeycomb rather than feeling like it is unsavoury medicine to be taken!

_{First published in Compass, Summer 2024.}