Sunday, January 23, 2011

His Words - Sweeter Than Honey

There is an expression I am hearing from my granddaughters lately when they are ‘in agreement’ with what is said, or when they are ‘affirming’ what they think is good or that they ‘like what happened’. The word is “SWEET! Not so many years ago we would have heard the word “cool”!

I thought about how many times in God’s Word the authors express themselves with that word.

Solomon says in Proverbs 3:24, that ‘when you lie down, you will not be afraid; …your sleep will be sweet’. He also says in chapter 13, verse 19 that ‘a longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul’
I think this is what my granddaughters are saying—‘it’s good, they like it, it’s SWEET!

Ezekiel, the prophet, referred to God’s Word when he said, ‘Eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ The man who ate it said, ‘it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.’ (Ezek. 3:3)

The Psalmist spoke of God’s Word when he said, 'it is sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.' (Psa. 19:10) His reason for saying that is in verse 11—‘by them is your servant warned and in keeping them there is great reward.’ I had to ask myself, “do I look at the warnings in His Word and the rewards He gives when I keep them as a sweet experience?”

‘How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ –the Psalmist says in chapter 119:103. When I read this I was reminded that I have to take time to taste God’s word in order for it to be sweet to me. In January of this year I purposed to take time to meditate on what I read in His Word—to taste it, to think about it, ask questions if I don’t understand something, look up other references that shed light on what I read. It’s been so helpful and, indeed, I can say it is ‘sweeter than honey to my mouth when I take time to really ‘taste’ it, rather than just casually reading the words! Try it, if you haven’t already. It’s SWEET!