Honey and Health

Proverbs 24:13-14 

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. (NIV)

There is something special about honey. My father has honey every day as part of his breakfast. Dad spreads it on Weetabix instead of eating his Weetabix with milk like the rest of us. A friend of mine uses honey as a sweetener in his coffee. We use honey for medicinal purposes as an ingredient of the ‘hot toddies’ we make to fight off winter colds. My soon to be daughter-in-law uses a special honey from New Zealand for her throat when illness threatens her ability to sing. A search on Google throws up many other potential uses for honey, some of which are stranger than spreading it on Weetabix.

Interestingly, honey was first mentioned in the book of Genesis when there was famine in the land and Jacob needed to buy grain from Egypt (Genesis 43). In this instance honey was part of a gift, inferring that there was value attached to a pot of honey (something Winnie the Pooh was well aware of). Then in Exodus God refers to the land He has promised to the Israelites as a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ (Exodus 3:8). Scripture leaves no doubt concerning the importance of honey, so it is interesting that first David (Psalm 19:10 and Psalm 119:103), and then Solomon compare the preciousness of honey to the words, judgments, and wisdom of God. If honey is good for your health, then wisdom is good for your spiritual welfare. Honey is good for the body, and it is also good for the soul when it serves as a reminder of the wisdom of God that we need to seek and apply to our lives throughout each waking day.