WHAT CAN BE SWEETER? A STUDY OF ALL THE SCRIPTURE REFERENCES TO HONEY – PART 1
HONEY IS GOD’S PROVISION - THE APPLICATION OF HONEY IN THE SCRIPTURES
[1]. Genesis 43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little HONEY, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.”
Honey was included as a present fit for a king or ruler. Jacob was in an awful position because of the action and deception of his sons, but it was up to Jacob to plan through it all so he would not lose a second son. The best that Jacob could offer was taken down to Egypt. Honey is always seen as the best in the scriptures for provision. That we shall see in this message. Remember this was in the time of the 7 year drought and we note the gifts were all from trees that survive longer in a drought. It might have been “a little honey” from the reduced production in drought.
If Jacob could offer to this ruler (Joseph – none of them were aware of) “the best products of the land,” then surely we must offer to our dear Ruler the best products of our lives – intellect, gifts, time, talents and provisions. This world is in a deep spiritual drought but God provides for us the honey from His rich resources.
[2]. Exodus 3:8 “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and HONEY, . . . .”
“Milk and honey” - This is the expression God chose to represent the best. Milk = God’s sustenance. Honey = all God’s expressed sweetness. When God moved Israel into the land of Canaan, He provided the best for them, not anything inferior. God always does that, and has done it for us now and will do so in the life to come. The term “milk and honey” means abundance and productivity. God keeps providing milk and honey for the abundant growth in the Christian life so Christians can bring their own milk and honey gifts to the Lord.
[3]. Exodus 16:31 “And the house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with HONEY.”
The hard-to-describe provision of God. We know it’s there. We know it’s ours, but it’s difficult often for our human natures to really fathom the substance of it. The manna was God’s provision for the wilderness journey. It was the earthly food for the earthly people. We can say it was the best and most sustaining.
It was as if wafers were sweetened with honey. The sweetness of honey was in the provision and should have been a reminder to the people of the Lord’s goodness, but they wanted not the heavenly provision, but the world’s food; the leeks and garlic of Egypt, not the goodness and kindness of the eternal God. Woe to any Christian who seeks the world’s provision before that of the Lord’s. Woe to those who seek the false honeyed wafers of the world.
Christians too have manna for their earthly journey. What is our manna – it is the Lord Himself, the true Bread of Life; it is the Holy Spirit who remains with us all through the journey; it is the food of the word of God; it is all the delightful sweetness of salvation and fellowship. Can you understand that the Lord has given us all good things, but He will force none on them on to us, but desires His children to receive them gratefully, not rejecting His manna as the Israelites did?
[4]. Leviticus 2:11 “No grain offering, which you bring to the LORD, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any HONEY as an offering by fire to the LORD.”
We have here adulteration of offerings. Leaven is the type of sin without exception and must not be named among any godly thing or offering to God. Neither shall honey be offered in fire. Burnt honey is a corruption, the destruction of sweetness, a horrible burnt smell, acrid and extremely displeasing. Be very careful, all of us, that we do not offer to God those things that are corrupted and burnt. It is corruption. Offer to God the sweetness that meets His approval, not honey in the fire.
Another way to consider this. I think the grain offering represents Christ’s sacrifice through the fire of the cross. No leaven, because He was without sin (though made sin for us). No honey because that represents sweetness and Christ’s sacrifice was a bitter trial for our sin. He was the Man of sorrows and the despised One. They crucified the Lord of glory.
[5]. Deuteronomy 8:8 “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and HONEY;”
Again the best that God could provide for His people for their earthly existence. All meant satisfaction and fullness at His loving hand. Magnificent provision. God loves us, doesn’t He? All the mentioned items would sustain life in the best way. Israel, being an earthly people, could have had full blessing in their land but they sinned and lost the blessing. All too often sin keeps Christians away from the full heavenly blessings the Lord wants to provide. God has given for us all the spiritual blessings for the pilgrim journey, so what sort of Christian profession is it that would turn to man and to the world to seek fulfillment and wealth?
[6]. {{Deuteronomy 32:13 “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field, and He made him suck HONEY from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock,”}}
The passage speaks of God’s tender care for Israel whom He found – {{Deuteronomy 32:10 “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness. He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.”}} God did wonders for Israel but pride overtook the nation and it became proud and separated from God. When Israel was “young” our verse 13 applied.
This use of honey suggests to me the glorious provision in the dry place. The Lord sustains in the tough times and the barren places. Suggests again His loving care. It is unexpected that the desert would yield such mercies, but the Creator does, right there in the desert. Israel was provided with honey and oil but the following verse says more – {{Deuteronomy 32:14 “curds of cows, and milk of the flock with fat of lambs and rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat - and of the blood of grapes you drank wine.”}}
That was a complete provision, but in pride and sin, Israel departed from the Lord. Woe to those who despise God’s provision and especially that of salvation. God’s provision in needy times is all we need. In fact God’s provision in good times is superior to anything this sinful world might try to fake. Be in the world as a separated pilgrim, not part of this world system.
[7]. {{Judges 14:8 “When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and HONEY were in the body of the lion.”}} (The story is found in Judges 14:5-14).
Well I guess Samson did this one for us. “Out of the strong came something sweet”. Yes, God will use that strong and difficult challenge or problem, that roaring lion in our lives to generate a future sweetness. That provision of His, will sustain us through the journey. Tribulation is difficult at the time but when it is overcome, down the line comes hope, and hope does not make us to be ashamed. The lions of tribulation give way to the blessed hope. As Samson overpowered the lion God enables us to do likewise so out of that which is too strong for us, comes honey, the sweetness and provision of God. as it was in Samson’s case, it probably won’t happen instantly, but over time we will enjoy, the peaceable sweetness of victory and righteousness,
[8]. {{1Samuel 14:26 When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of HONEY, but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
1Samuel 14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this HONEY.”}}
Jonathon got “brightened eyes.” Some times you hit a brick wall in trying to decipher a verse. Verse 29 is one such verse. All commentators seem to pass by the honey explanation in verse 29 and only one mentioned the word “refreshing” that I think has some relevance. Saul had given an insane oath about not eating but Jonathon did not know. His eyes brightened but exactly what does that mean? There are two suggestions I will give.
The first is that he gained enlightenment and understanding. I do not think the physical properties of honey give understanding or special insight to people, even though honey is healthy. This verse must not be understood in the physical sense even though a portion of it may have revived Jonathon after such harrowing circumstances. It must be understood as a spiritual awareness and true understanding from the Lord.
The second possibility is as one commentator suggested – that of refreshment. We can imagine Jonathon here tasting the honey and the sugars in it, giving him certain refreshment and restored strength. When we put those facts together and look at a spiritual application we have honey representing a spiritual understand and a refreshing strength to the weary soul. That is what we want in this world, which is totally out of step with God in confusion and hostility. The Christian needs the ministry of the “honey” for his help in the way.
Could I be a bit bold in saying in our days we need a flow of honey most definitely. We really do need spiritual understanding in this world full of opposition and delusions. We need refreshment from the Lord so we must retire at times to His “honey house”. Enjoy the whole provision of God.
[9]. {{1Kings 14:3 “And take ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of HONEY, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”}}
Honey was used in this case as an agent of deception. Wicked Jeroboam’s son was sick but he got his wife to pretend to be another woman and go to Ahijah, God’s prophet, with an inquiry about the boy. God provided the wisdom to His prophet Ahijah to see through it. He could have been tricked. This shows the need for discernment and to keep close to the One who provides that. The whole household of Jeroboam was to suffer severe judgement for their terrible sins against the Lord.
Honey was used as enticement for trickery. Satan has many honey jars of deception and corruption. Only God knows the way for us through that and that means a full trust in God and then we don’t waver and become the victims of deceptive honey.
[10]. {{Psalm 19:10 “They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than HONEY and the drippings of the honeycomb.”}}
“They” means a collection of the Lord’s sayings and instruction (described as law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, judgments [from verses 7-9]. Honey was the sweetest substance known to the Old Testament people so here is a comparison. The word of God wins out every time over honey for sweetness and desirability. The comparison also includes gold, which was considered as precious and valuable. How many people today would swap the bible for great amounts of gold? No matter how precious gold is, it perishes but God’s word never loses it power and authority.
Gold does not reach the standard of much fine gold and honey does not equate with the drippings of the honeycomb. With God’s word there is no comparison. It is perfect in every way. {{Psalm 19:7-8 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”}}
[11]. {{Psalm 81:16 “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with HONEY from the rock I would satisfy you.”}}
In lament, God would state that the erring nation, Israel, could have been fed with the very best He could offer to them. God wanted to do that, but there had to be a willingness that was required. The honey here means the purest and most refreshing provision of God. (Actually it all means the Lord Jesus Christ because He is God’s best and He is the finest of the wheat to be crushed in the fire, and the complete sweetness of God.). What more could Israel need than the very finest God offered them? What more could we need other than the finest of the Lord Jesus Christ? In Him there is full satisfaction.
Do you want to be satisfied, to have all your needs (not in the prosperity sense) taken care of? Note this verse – {{Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”}} Get right with God and He will satisfy your desire for the goodness of God. Honey from the rock – out of something hard and impossible, God supplies the honey from the rock. Nothing is too hard for the Lord! The Lord’s sweet honey attends our way.
[12]. {{Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than HONEY to my mouth!”}}
Nothing surpasses the sweetness of God’s word. Nothing whatever. Isn’t that wonderful? We touched on this earlier but just to mention the purpose of the verse again – it is a comparison to say that nothing is sweeter than the word of God to our whole being. Some find sweetness in worldly things and in a host of activities, but none of them can compare with just how sweet the inspired word of God is to us.
[13]. {{Proverbs 5:3 “The lips of an adulteress drip HONEY, and smoother than oil is her speech, Prov 5:4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.”}}
Isn’t sin desirable and sweet and intriguing and inviting and pleasant? - that is, until it bites and its true self is revealed. This section is about the adulteress who lies in the way to capture the indiscreet much like a spider that lures its prey and devours it. Her lips drip honey, sweetness, and she is altogether alluring like the sirens who lead sailors into shipwreck. Her speech flows smoothly, so slick, and the mind of the tempted one is disengaged and he falls.
Time passes and the result has turned out to be horrible. The two comparisons are wormwood and a sword. The utter bitterness of wormwood descends on the one enticed and captured; the sharpness of pain cuts that same victim.
Here we have the counterfeit, that which would try to gain ascendancy over the Bible as what is chiefly desirable. God’s word is the chief, the only true honey, but the enticer and false teacher and the corrupter would want to capture people with the honey of deception; the honey of the adulteress.
[14]. {{Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a HONEYcomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”}}
Who needs a word in season? Who needs comfort in trial and hardship? We all do. Solomon claims pleasant words are a honeycomb. Honey is a food and comfort, a refreshing in need and sorrow. It is also a provision, for the righteous one of God is satisfied only from the Lord. He makes the one who loves Him to be refreshed by the honeycomb. However, often this ability is not his to find and utilise, so help is needed from others. That is when pleasant words become the honey of refreshing to a soul in hurt.
Think about the expression “healing to the bones”. The imagery there is one who has been figuratively crushed and his bones are broken. Many people are like that today and have no recourse to healing. They are shattered. Even Christians can be in that state because of deep trial and persecution. They need help, but from where will the help come? The verse has the answer in the first two words – pleasant words.
Always be ready to share your “honey” with the hurting and the suffering and the sorrowing - in short, to all needy souls, especially to those of the household of faith. A word spoken in season . . . that is a precious ministry some people have, the ability to get alongside others and be of much comfort to them. Those people who go out of their way to speak comfort are those who bind up broken bones. Can we all do that? I think we can.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
