One Year Bible: January 23

“Sweeter than honey … “

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-11).

To read today’s portion of scripture, you can purchase The One Year Bible (paid link) or find the following in your Bible:

About ten years ago, when a girl from California slammed into the truck behind me, which caused the truck behind me to slam into me, (and her excuse for not braking soon enough on that rainy day was … and I’m not making this up … “It never rains in California.” ), I found myself with whiplash (again) which required six months of physical therapy (again). This time, I chose a clinic out in Granite Falls.

A few weeks into my physical therapy, while doing planks on the table in the center of the room, I heard a buzz. “Jay’s coming today!” The whisper zigzagged through the room. “Who’s Jay?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“He’s the bee man … and he’s bringing us our Dr. Pepper honey.”

Well, that statement deserves some investigation. So I pried. And what I found out was that the local bee producer had purchased several 100 gallon steel drums from the company that made Dr. Pepper. Although he scrubbed and sterilized each drum, he was dismayed to find that the honey he later stored in those drums had a distinct Dr. Pepper taste. But he went with it, and his customers literally ate it up. He only had one drum-full left by the time I added my order of two jars to the list.

I was curious, just as you would be. The moment I shut the car door and settled into my seat, I pulled one of the jars out of its brown paper bag, unscrewed the lid, and took a dainty pinky taste of the famous Dr. Pepper honey. And then I took a forefinger-full. And then it was two fingers. And by the time I’d driven the seven miles back home, I was rehearsing my explanation for why the rest of the family would be sharing one jar, and I’d be keeping the other for myself. I mean, who would want that jar after I’d been in it up to my elbows?

Every time I went into the kitchen, I had a bite. I started with teaspoonfuls, then tablespoonfuls, then serving spoonfuls. And that’s how you empty a jar of honey in three days.

Those two jars of honey started us out on our own bee adventure. Dave wanted to meet Jay-the-bee-man; we did; we bought starter bees and learned how to tend them, and we donned our bee suits one day and posed for our own version of “American Gothic.” (See picture above)

Today, I hardly ever think about that Dr. Pepper honey. That’s because I quit eating it, because it ran out. But I am absolutely certain that if you found a way to replicate that intoxicating elixir, and you set a bucketful in front of me, my addiction would return full-force. That’s just how it is when you have something that delightful.

And yet here God tells us that His law, His commandments, His statutes … in other words, His Word … is more intoxicating and addicting than honey. I assume that includes Dr. Pepper honey.

When I first discovered God’s word, back when I was 20 and newly recommitted to Him, I was hooked instantly. I simply couldn’t get enough. And even though that was a long time ago, I know my love for His word far surpassed my love for Jay-the-bee-man’s accidental honey.

Are you hungry for that kind of hunger? Just take a tiny bite. Let your hand linger over the cover of the book for a long moment, then crack the spine and smooth the pages and let your eyes glide over the words that could only come from the One who knows all things. Read a little … then follow your urge to read a lot. Because the urge will be there. It’s sweeter than honey.