By Revd Darren Garfield, Superintendent, North Liverpool & South Sefton Circuit
Reading: Proverbs 24 v. 13 – 14
‘My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, you will find a future, and your hope will not be cut off.’
Notes:
There is something very satisfying about honey. Spread on bread, dripped onto porridge, or stirred into something plain. It changes things. What we might consider bland becomes full of flavour. What was once ordinary comes alive with sweetness. Not everyone likes it, I know, but I do and always keep a jar in my cupboard. Anyway, I have it on good authority from Proverbs that it is ‘good’. Here the writer is guiding a young person to pursue wisdom rather than trusting in something transient: ‘My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.’
Honey in the ancient world was both nourishment and luxury. Pure, natural, and satisfying, its sweetness was also a symbol of abundance and divine goodness. The spiritual connection is clear: ‘Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, you will find a future, and your hope will not be cut off.’ It is part of the abundance of the Promised Land.
Of course, we must reach for the honey jar to taste it. Likewise, we must actively pray for and pursue wisdom. As honey nourishes the body, so wisdom nourishes the soul and brings joy to life. It transforms the ordinary. It infuses life with wonder and purpose.
Wonder:
How do I ‘taste’ wisdom, and how does it bring sweetness and hope to my soul?
Where do I need wisdom’s light to guide me through life’s gloomier, uncertain moments?
Prayer:
Life-giving God,
You are the giver of sweetness and light.
Teach me to seek wisdom as eagerly as I reach for honey,
to taste and see that you are good.
Let your wisdom fill my soul,
brightening dark corners, guiding my steps,
and sweetening every moment with your hope.
May the light of your truth be my comfort and joy,
today and always.
Amen.