The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb (Psalm 19:9b-10).
In the beginning, it was supposed to be perfect. Bliss. Serenity. It was supposed to give us joy, contentment, happiness, satisfaction…everything we needed. And then…we blew it.
We gave it all up for instant gratification because we thought we knew better than God what was good for us. Or at least, we thought we wanted to know better than God.
And so, it began. The long journey back to a relationship with the Lord. Very early on, the Israelites suffered 400 years of enslavement.
Exodus 3 is perhaps one of the best-known stories in the Old Testament. While Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro, God “…appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush” (v. 2).
Moses decided to mosey (sorry…had to say it) on over to see the strange sight, as the bush was not burning up. After calling out to Moses, God made his purpose clear that he had chosen Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. At that time, God made a promise to the Israelites:
So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (3:8).
Three more times in the Old Testament, God used the term to describe his promise to the Israelites (Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 31:20; Ezekiel 20:15). “A land flowing with milk and honey.” God’s promise. But there are a great many more verses in Scripture with references to honey.
“Honey” is mentioned 61 different times in the Bible. Its use and meaning were often associated with goodness and prosperity.
Honey signified abundance and comfort. Richness of life. Perhaps the wisest man to ever live said this, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”(Proverbs 16:24).
God’s gracious words are contained in His Word.
Guidance Is Given
Parents realize very early on that the younger the child, the more rules that must be set. Not so much for the benefit of the child but for the safety and happiness of the child.
Many a child has burned their fingers on the stove they didn’t know was hot. Let’s face it — at a certain age, they didn’t even know what hot was or what it would do.
“Don’t cross the street!” evolved with age into, “Make sure to look both ways before you cross the street.” At a certain age, even that stopped. Not knowing became only a reminder, which eventually progressed to them knowing to look before crossing.
In other words, rather than having to listen to mom and dad’s do’s and don’ts — they know what to do and not do. They began to know in their hearts what was right and wrong.
So, it is with the Word of the Lord.
Not long after escaping from Egypt, the Israelites found themselves camped out at Mt. Sinai, where Moses journeyed to the top multiple times. On one of those occasions, the Lord wrote out the Ten Commandments onto two stone tablets.
Lessons — rules — for a multi-generational group who had been enslaved for 400 years and didn’t know God at all. All they knew was working under the thumb of Pharoah and his commanders. All they knew was what they were told when they were told — to lift this or move that.
All at risk of getting their fingers burned. They had no idea how to relate to God, never mind to each other.
So, God gave them His Word. His instructions to follow. And while many rebelled against such rules and regulations, many found those words to be incredible.
They found not only guidance but promises. They found that when read, studied, meditated over, and absorbed — God’s words became sweetness to their spirits. God’s word became like honey. Abundance for one’s soul.
The Psalmist and Honey
David was ahead of his time. The Psalms are almost like what today we would call David’s journal.
They represent his deepest, darkest thoughts and fears, as well as his exuberant excitement about the Lord. Throughout the Psalms, we find David talking about finding forgiveness for one’s sins:
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit (Psalm 32:1-2).
And confessing our sins, asking for forgiveness:
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin (v. 5).
About seeing the Lord’s goodness while here on Earth:
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).
David’s words express so much of what we often feel today — feeling alone, abandoned by God. Wondering if God has forgotten him (Psalms 13; 42). Shaking his fist at God (Psalm 21). Abandonment (Psalm 6).
And yet, each time, David finds it in him to rely on God, to count on the promises in his Word.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God (Psalm 43:5).
Through all of this, each and every time, David remembers who God is and what God has promised. Through all of his trials and troubles, David writes Psalm 23, perhaps the most well-known of all Psalms.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In the Psalms, David proclaims that God’s Word is even sweeter than honey. Sweeter than even life itself. David used the Psalms to praise God, God’s laws, and God's promises.
Psalm 119 is a lengthy 176-verse testament to the glory and goodness of God’s word — a lamp unto his feet and light unto his path.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path(Psalm 119-103-105).
Psalm 19 is a glorious devotion to the Lord.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb (v. 10).
The Lord Knows What Is Best for Us
Despite his questions, his trials, and troubles, David knew in his heart that God knew what was best. He knew God’s Word — with all of its do’s and don’ts, also contained promises he could count on. He knew that God laid out the best path for him to follow, even if he sometimes didn’t choose that path.
Thus, David’s assertion that God’s Word was, and is, sweeter than honey. In God’s Word can be found an abundant life. And then came Jesus to fulfill and to continue God’s promises and to fulfill the Law of God’s Word.
In Christ, the written do’s and don’ts move into our hearts, and our hearts and the Holy Spirit guide us to the best path. God’s path. Jesus proclaimed he was the way to an abundant life (John 10:10).
Then, when suffering through trials and troubles, just like David, we turn back to God’s Word, knowing we will find comfort and guidance there. Knowing God’s Word is what is best for us. Knowing his promises can be relied on. Knowing God’s Word is sweeter than honey.
For further reading:
What Is the Significance of Honey in the Bible?
3 Words of Hope When in the Depths
What Is the Significance of the Promised Land in the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/ValentynVolkov
