Proverbs 24:13-14
My son, eat honey, because it is good and sweet to taste: The knowledge of wisdom will do the same for your soul. When you find it, there will be a reward in it for you.
In ancient times, or even more recent pioneer days, honey was not as readily cultivated on farms, as it is now. It was a part of the wilderness, and it had to be diligently sought after and found. Actual honey hunts were performed in late spring and throughout the summer months, and it was then carefully preserved in clay pots and jars throughout the winter. Oftentimes these hives would be discovered in an old fallen log or hollow tree; sometimes bees would even build their hives in the crevices of rocks. They were never just out in the open, but always concealed from plain sight. Finding honey was considered a great achievement, and the place was always well marked so that the hunter could return to retrieve more at a later date in time.
The universal and natural craving for sweets of some kind proves best that there is a true need for them in the human system. Children, who expend lots of energy, have a real “passion” and a sort of instinct for sweets. As this proverb articulates, honey is good, and has always contained remarkable health benefits. It’s more complex sugars differ greatly from that of normal cane sugar. It is a carbohydrate compound, and is a singularly acceptable, practical and most effective in generating heat, and creating and replacing energy. Furthermore, it also plays a role in the formation of certain tissues. Sugar and honey have been used for centuries as a common treatment to heal serious injuries and battle wounds. Proteins certainly replace and build tissues. However, it is the function and assignment of carbohydrates to create and replace heat and energy that it takes for proteins to properly and efficiently function.
In Solomon’s comparison of honey and wisdom we find the exact same “spiritual” qualities in wisdom. It gives energy and power to life. Wisdom is also an element that is sweet! You eat a little and it only builds a craving for more. Also, much like honey, it is imperative in the process of rebuilding any elements of life that have torn or destroyed. However, wisdom is not a common element. It must be diligently sought after; even hunted! When we find sources of it, we must mark well those spots and go back to them as often as we can in order to preserve their provision. The reward of wisdom is the peace and prosperity that it brings to the lives of those that find it and keep it.
Live Wise,
Pastor LaVaughn
