"Honey and the Word of God"
On the farm our pastures are full of hay made up of fescue, lespedeza, and clover, which are grasses that are great for cattle and sheep to eat, but Grandpa and I don't have cattle and sheep, so we allow a neighboring farmer to come cut the hay and use it for his cattle. This neighbor also raises honeybees and he collects the honey these bees make. The farmer gave us some of his honey. He said his bees make honey from clover and soybeans. The clover honey was a lighter amber color than the soybean honey. This farmers’ hives are placed close to a soybean field.
Honeybees can gather up to 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar in a year. I guess that is why people sometimes say someone "is as busy as a bee!"
The Bible makes many references to honey. Such as in the book of Exodus chapter 3: 17, God refers to the Promised Land as a land flowing with "milk and honey." In Proverbs 24:13, it says, "My child, eat honey for it is good, and the honey comb is sweet to the taste." Also, in the book of Proverbs 16:24, "Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." In the book of Matthew chapter 3, it tells us that John the Baptist survived on honey, and in the book of Revelations 10: 8-11, it says, "Then the voice from heaven called to me again: ‘Go and take the unrolled scroll from the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’" So I approached him and asked him to give me the little scroll. "Yes, take it and eat it," he said. "It will taste like honey, but when you swallow it, it will make your stomach sour!" So I took the little scroll from the hands of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but it made my stomach sour. Then the angel said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." The message is that at first the acceptance of God's word is sweet knowing it to be words from God of reconciliation and peace, but the world reaching that peace involves judgement, mayhem and death. In this passage, the Apostle John realizes that the bitterness of preaching the sweet word of God to the world is knowing that those who reject his words will face God's terrible punishment.
God's word, the Bible, is sweet and beneficial to us just like honey. We need to read it, and accept these sweet words from God. The next time you eat a piece of bread topped with the honeybees sweet honey think about God's word, his love and his promises for you.
Dear Heavenly Father, your word is sweet and beneficial for us. Help us to read them and apply them to our lives so we will realize your your peace come to understand your saving grace through your perfect son Jesus Christ. In Jesus name, Amen
God Bless