The Lord Is Sweeter than Honey

"A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb, but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet" (Prov. 27:7, HCSB).

It is no wonder that the words of the wise are often referred to as dark sayings. There is a certain level of obscurity in most of the proverbs. More often than not, the reader is left asking what does that mean? Even the ones that are more easily understood leave the reader wondering if their is more than meets the eye.

Proverbs 27:7 is no different. Reading it leads one to conclude that it is only an observation. It is as if Solomon was saying, "Fact: when people are full, they don't want more food. Fact: hungry people would by glad to eat anything." But is that all Solomon is saying. If so, then the proverb takes on a meaning similar to the modern expression, "Never go grocery shopping when your hungry."

What if Solomon is using this observation of human behavior to point us to more startling truths? What if he is using the hunger imagery to symbolize something else? Jesus spoke of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). The Lord says through Isaiah:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in rich food. Incline you ear, and come to me; hear, that you soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David (Isa. 55:1-3, ESV).

These two examples help us to see that the imagery of hunger/eating points to a deeper spiritual reality. These images draw an analogy for the reader. Just as a person is hungry (craves, yearns, or longs) for food, their soul also longs for "food." The food for our soul can be purchased, but not with money. It can only be obtained by listening (hearing combined with obedience). What is this bread? Jesus is the bread (see John 6:35-37).Thus, the hungry soul can only truly be satisfied in Christ.

Solomon uses the sweetness of the honeycomb to complete the analogy. Honey is sweet, and for that reason it is alluring. It offers a reward for merely tasting it, but it can be dangerous. Solomon warns, "If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it" (Prov. 25:16). Yet even honey is more than honey. It is said the lips of the adulterous drip honey (see Prov. 5:3).  Solomon isn't saying she is a sloppy eater, but that her words are sweet and alluring.

Now that we see it is an analogy, let's return to Proverbs 27:7. Solomon says, "A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb." Within his culture, the idea of trampling on a honeycomb would most likely seem ludicrous. We could paraphrase it as, "A person who has just eaten a good meal will skip dessert." I know what you're thinking, "Dessert is part of a good meal," but try and follow the analogy. It isn't really about dessert. Let me put it another way, "A person who has what they want doesn't want anything else." David (Ps. 23:1), Jesus (John 4:31-34), and Paul (Phil. 4:11-13) were full in God. Therefore, they refused to chase after other sources of pleasure. They had all they needed.

The second part of the proverb states, "But to the hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet." Eddie Murphy once joked that if you give a starving person a cracker they will ask, "Is this a Ritz?". He humorous observation captures the same reality that Solomon is explaining. An empty belly doesn't always discriminate between yummy and yucky. Genuine hunger overrules the palate. King Tongue may have the say when the cupboards are full, but taste doesn't rule when it's eat or die.

The analogy holds if we apply it to the soul. The empty soul, that is, a soul that is hungering for God (even if it doesn't realize it), will look for fulfillment in all the wrong places. Richard Trench once said, "None but God can satisfy the longings of the immortal soul; as the heart was made for him, he only can fill it." Augustine stated, "Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee."

It is this nagging sense that something is missing deep within the human heart, that propels us to search. However, apart from God, we cannot find what we are looking for. We are so hungry that the bitter seems sweet. I believe this is the reason many people are overtaken by sin. They get caught in addiction because they are trying to fill the void. Even believers who fail to apply the gospel to all of their lives struggle with this as well. Many who believe the gospel are never trained to understand the full implications of the message. It changes everything about us.

If we are full of the message of Christ, so that it touches every part of our lives, temptation will lose some of it's power. Why taste the honeycomb when we are full? Or will we keep cramming the bitter things of this world down our throats while telling ourselves, "It's a Ritz"? Don't forget, the Lord is sweeter than honey.


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A Source of Temptation

James 1:13-15 gives us a glimpse into a source of temptation. Many have expressed that there are three sources of temptation in the life of the believer. Those sources are the world, the flesh, and the devil. When we speak of "the world" in terms of temptation, we are speaking of the anti-Christian system controlled by the devil. The devil, of course, is that ancient serpent that led Eve astray and who continues to deceive even now. In this passage, James focuses on the flesh.

James begins by explicitly stating that there is one source from which the temptation to sin will never come--God. He states, "For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt any one" (James 1:13). Evil is contrary to God's nature. It holds no sway over him. He is a Shepherd that seeks lost sheep, not a butcher that drives them to destruction. To paraphrase James, "God is not the source of temptation."

If God is not the source of temptation, then who is? I have already mentioned that temptation comes through the world and from the devil, but James does touch on these. Why? The simplest answer is that the Holy Spirit moved him to speak about temptation that comes through the flesh ("evil desires"). This answer is not only simple, but true. However, it leaves us the question of why the Spirit so moved James. I think that James is led to address this source of temptation, because it is the one we have the most control over.

We are in the world, but not of it. The world hates us, because it hated Christ, our Lord. There are many things within our natural environment that have an impact on us. We are creatures greatly affected by nature (genetics) and nurture (environment/upbringing). A person tempted to sexual immorality can do very little to change the reality of prostitutes and promiscuity within the larger community in which they live. A fallen world cannot operate in accordance to the law. Thus, their battle lies mostly within. They cannot control their world, nor can they control the devil, but we are told self-control is possible through the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

James states we are tempted when by our own "evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14). This is a picture of a fish being taken from the water. The bait is cast. Slowly, the angler begins to reel it in, to draw the fish's attention. Snap--the bait is taken, the hook is set, and the fisherman has to begin reeling in the fish. Thus, our evil desires set the bait before us. Each tantalizing enticement draws us closer and closer to danger. We push through red flags and silence screaming consciences, because the bait is so appetizing. Snap--the bait is taken, the hook is set, and sin begins to reel us in. Sin will gut us, skin us, throw us in the frying pan, then chew us up and spit us out.

We are drawn out by our own evil desires. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. The spirit awakened by God through regeneration desires to do what pleases God, but the flesh wages war (see Rom. 7:7-8:11). The works of the flesh are obvious (see Gal. 5:19-21). The flesh is something that must be put off (see Eph. 4:17-24), and something that must be crucified (see Col. 1:1-10). Speaking about overcoming the flesh in his ministry Paul informs us that we must run with aim, fight the good fight, and make not provision for our flesh (see 1 Cor. 9:24-27).

James finishes his look at the source of temptation by exploring the cycle of sin. He uses the metaphor of birth. He states, "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15). The flesh gets a craving, it begins to formulate a plan, it slowly erodes the barriers of conscience and morality until sin is achieved. Sin allows our flesh to feel a temporary euphoria and excitement in its achievement, but the snare is set. Sin will push passed the feelings of euphoria and excitement with feelings of guilt, shame, and condemnation. Sin lies to us by promising that our guilt and shame can be eliminated through committing more sin. We are then tricked into a vicious cycle of sin and guilt. Without confession, repentance, and redemption, we are enslaved by the sin that promised us freedom, and the evil desire that led us astray slays us.

James includes the cycle to help us know where to, as Barney Fife would say, "Nip it in the bud." Because sin is so sneaky and slippery, the Bible continues to warn us not to let down our guards. We are on the battlefield the enemy has surrounded us, from the outside and on the inside. We cannot allow ourselves to drift into spiritual slumber or we will find ourselves a prisoner of war. We can overcome temptation, but not in our strength. James urges his readers to draw near to God in order to defeat the enemy (see James 4:7-8). When you are tempted, remember our brother, Jesus Christ, who was in way tempted as we, but who sinned not (see Heb. 4:15). It is through his sinless sacrifice that we find forgiveness and life. Remember what Charitie Bancroft wrote in the song "Before the Throne of God Above,"

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.