Sweeter Than Honey

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I want to tell you about a friend of mine, Neil. He’s well into his eighties and he’s lived, shall we say, a colourful life. After a recent operation his body is a bit frail now, but his mind and his wit are as sharp as ever.

Recently, he decided it was time he had a Bible. Here’s how it happened. He’s been coming along to church for years. You know how it is, his wife has been dragging him along. At first he kicked and screamed and didn’t want to come. But after a few years, it’s become a bit of a habit.

So, he rushes up to me after a service a few months back and says, “Berni I need your help. I’ve decided you’re right. I need to start reading the Bible. Can you help me buy one.” Wow, that got me just a bit excited, so I did. I ordered a study Bible for him online a few months ago in a contemporary English translation. At which point I promptly forgot about it.

Just the other Sunday, before the service, Neil grabs my hand and says “It’s changed me you know, that book I’ve been reading.”

Me, I’ve completely forgotten, so I stupidly ask him “Which book?” A little surprised he answers, “Well, the Bible of course.” Ding, I remembered. But there was a light in his eyes. A spark in his voice. He was excited about it, because he realised that through the Bible, God had been speaking to him in a deep, personal, intimate way. God was digging around inside this old man’s heart and unearthing things that had been binding him up and holding him back for decades.

As I watched Neil and listened to the genuine enthusiasm in his voice, it brought such an incredible sense of joy to my heart. Here was a man who had discovered the power of God’s Word. And it reminded me of this beautiful Scripture:

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)

We’re genetically programmed to like sugar, because it’s a ready source of energy. Of course these days sugar is in everything and it’s killing us. But back when that Psalm was written, sugar was a rarity. Either you had to be next to a fruit tree in season, or you had to fight the bees for their honey, which was always going to be mildly problematic.

So you can imagine the psalmist talking about this rare, exquisite, sweet thing called honey. And he’s saying God your word is like that honey – only sweeter, only better. Wow I love your Word.

Could I ask you plainly today, is that a discovery that, like the psalmist, like Neil, you’ve made in your heart? Because it’s a discovery that’s ready and waiting for you right now.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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