Sweeter than Honey

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  - Psalm 19:10

I had a funny experience at VBS while visiting another church this week. I have the unique skill of  strategically placing myself around the snacks and so there I was checking out what was being offered to feast on. As the kids were sitting down with their plates a littl boy about 6 years old picked up a piece of celery and held it up to his teacher. He said: "What is this!? I've never seen this stuff before!" We all laughed but I gotta say: that boy knows his snacks! 

I'm sure celery is good for you, gluten free, and all that. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it tastes like hard air. Basically no taste. I hear folks say "I love peanut butter on celery." Ah c'mon now! It's probably more accurate to say you just love peanut butter. You might as well eat it off a spoon as the celery doesn't really provide any substantial taste!

In Psalm 19:10 David does not compare the Word of God to celery. He could have compared it to vegetables but he didn't. 

Why?

Because Scripture is not a tasteless substance that you just have to eat because you know you're supposed to. You don't have to slap peanut butter on it to make it enjoyable. 

It tastes pleasurable. It's actually not even 'merely' like honey. David says its sweeter than honey. I'll make a conjecture here that if David had ever tasted lemon meringue pie he would of used that metaphor instead of honey! Ok so the point isn't do you like honey. The point is this: the way that exquisite tastes bring pleasure to our palate, the Word of God brings pleasure to our soul, except more and better. 

Drippings of the honeycomb! 

I'm not sure if you've seen the new Jungle Book or not, but it's great. Baloo cons Mowgli into getting him some honey. The honey is literally dripping from the honeycomb as Baloo is salivating waiting on the Man Cub to endure the bee stings to bring him some. 

I wonder when is the last time you salivated over the Word of God? It's not celery! It tastes good. It is good! Sweeter than honey! 

If you're not enjoying reading the Bible, you're reading it wrong. If the Bible is celery to you, you have missed the pleasure Believers are intended to get from it. If you always have to add the peanut butter of devotionals, or commentaries, you haven't quite tasted the richness of Scripture. What famished person sits down in front of a wonderfully cooked meal and says it's a drudgery to have to eat it? 

Oh Believer! Take up and read! See the glory and wonder of God! See the richness and fullness of grace. Stare into the face of Christ and be in awe of His person and work. It is sweeter than honey! 

No doubt reading the Bible deeply and regularly will bring conviction at times. Good Bible readers know that quite often it's actually not just that men read the Bible but that the Bible reads men! Sometimes getting to the honeycomb requires a few bee stings. And yet, this grace is conforming us evermore into the image of Christ. The overarching result of Bible saturation is not pain, but pleasure. It's sweeter than honey!

God spoke. He still speaks. He speaks through His living and active Word. And we have His Word at our very fingertips. He has preserved it, with no preservatives, right down to our very generation that we might delight in it. Not because it's just a great work of literature (although it is that) but because it is His very Word and it reveals Himself, His character, His will to us. It is a sword. It is a fire. It is a hammer. It is sweeter than honey. Read it. Eat it. Breathe it. Love it. Live it. 

No doubt we often wake up with a cold heart and even begin to read out of a sense of obligation. My counsel is twofold: 1) Pray for God to increase your appetite and repent of a paltry view of the Bible. 2) Keep reading in faith until you taste the honey. Some people don't read the Bible when they feel cold because they don't want to read it merely out of a sense of obligation. I say, READ ON! As it is the precious Word that the Spirit will use to once again liven the tastebuds of your heart. 

It is tragic how little Bible many professing Believers read. So many excuses! Time, inability, etc. But perhaps the issue is our palates have become satisfied with lesser quality food? We prefer potted meat because we haven't ever truly tasted the finely prepared porterhouse. 

No, no, no! Take up and read! Sweeter than honey! Yes, there are complicated portions of Scripture. Oh but the effort is worth it! Labor, dig, mine, pray, read, delight.  What joy you are missing if you do not have regular, consistent time in God's Word. What pleasure you forfeit if you see Bible intake as mere duty. What a vast treasure trove of riches await you even now! 

Why not stop what your doing and spend some time in the Word right now?

No more celery. No more peanut butter. Grab the full honeycomb and may your soul be richly satisfied!