Sweeter than Honey

April 27, 2021

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; 

The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 

More to be desired are they than gold, 

Yea, than much fine gold; 

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” —Psalm 19:9-10

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, 

Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

—Psalm 119:103 

When God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, he repeatedly told them of the land to which they were going, describing it as a land “flowing with milk and honey.” These words described the fecundity of their inheritance, the richness of the land and its ability not only to provide for them, but to provide richly. In our modern Western world where the supermarket shelves are full and produce from all over the world is available year round, we have lost the ability to appreciate the wonder such a bountiful land would have appeared to people whose entire lives were spent living on the knife-edge of survival. 

The Psalms take this abundance and connect it to the Word of the Lord. It’s not just the land, but the presence of God manifested in his Law and words that blesses his people with abundance. 

Today was invested in the two young girls being tutored by our granddaughter Alex. Al called me a few days ago to tell me one of the magazines she uses as a teaching aid had an article about honeybees, and wondered if she could bring the girls over for a hands-on experience. Of course, I readily agreed, and set about making adequate preparations. I had two colonies die over the winter, so had plenty of honey ready for harvesting. Some of it had crystallized, but there was still plenty ready for harvest. I dug out my extractor, gathered other supplies so I could show the girls up close the inside of a hive. We had a wonderful time, seeing the bees working the honeycomb, watching young bees emerging from their cells, and seeing the larvae curled up and growing, waiting to be sealed in. 

They watched the bees landing and entering the hive, legs laden with pollen. For two little girls who had been afraid of bees, they were troopers! We made beeswax candles, they tasted the difference between the processed honey sold in stores and honey fresh from the comb. They scraped the capping from the comb and spun out the honey. Alex sent me a photo of them enjoying the honey I sent home with them as they had their afternoon snack. 

Honey is such a concentrated sugar that it cannot spoil. It is antibacterial, and local honey can help those suffering from pollen related allergies. But only a few are willing to risk being stung in order to harvest it. Handling the boxes of frames filled with honey is not for the faint of heart or body, as a single box can weigh 80-100 pounds. Getting the honey from the comb to the table takes a lot of work. So it is also with God’s Word. Many eager to let others do the heavy lifting so they can enjoy its sweetness at the table, are unwilling to do the hard work of studying the Scriptures and tasting its sweetness first hand. Too many never experience the unparalleled sweetness of God’s Word straight from the comb, settling for the processed stuff that cannot compare with the real thing. I am privileged to keep bees, but even more so to be able to dig into God’s Word for myself. It is so very sweet!