My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13-14)

The Value Of Eating Honey

The world could not survive without bees. In the natural order of nature, bees serve an essential part in pollinating plants, trees, and vegetables. Early man found the benefits of robbing hives and harvesting the thick substance. The Lord called the promised land a place that flowed with milk and honey. Samson famously came upon the carcass of a lion where a swarm of bees had formed a hive of honey. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. He gave some to his father and mother without telling them where he got it. Later, Samson used the lion and bees as a riddle to trick his enemies. Delilah pressured Samson to tell her the meaning of the riddle, which she gave to the enemies of Samson.

King Saul placed a curse on anyone who ate any food until evening, before he could take vengeance on his enemies. This rash oath hindered the army from pursuing the Philistines to destroy them. Saul’s son, Jonathan, had not heard of the oath and ate some of the honey found in a forest. When Saul found out what Jonathan had done, he was going to have his son killed. The people intervened and saved Jonathan, and he did not die.

The Lord told Ezekiel to eat a scroll, and it tasted like honey in his mouth. The apostle John would eat a little book during the Revelation of Christ. It tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth, but after he had eaten it, it made his belly bitter. This depicted that understanding God’s word is sweet, but afterward comes the bitterness of knowing the consequences of sin. John the Baptist’s diet was locusts and wild honey. The imagery of honey is clear in Scripture, as found throughout the Bible.

Honey was an emblem showing the purest and simplest wisdom of the word of God. As the honey refreshes the spirit, so the word of God refreshes the soul. Solomon exhorts the reader to eat honey because it is good to eat and brings great nourishment. So shall the knowledge of God refresh the soul with the knowledge of God’s will. Finding honey brought great excitement. Opening the word of God is the eternal spirit of God filling the soul with the unsearchable riches of Christ. The knowledge of wisdom to the soul is eternal. Hope springs from taking the spiritual honey.

Through the divine will of God, He has given the world the perfect revelation for man to know how to gain eternal life. The study of God’s word should be as desirable as finding honey to soothe the body. Honey refreshes. God’s word refreshes. The value of eating honey is to find the joy of God’s word. Honey will not last, but God’s word will last forever.