Proverbs 24:13 Commentary and Bible Study

Honey was one of the sweetest naturally occurring foods available in Old Testament times, and in an age when man-made sweet products were not available the discovery of a bee hive was a great source of pleasure. Our tastes are given us by God, and honey and the sweet honey that drips from the comb is a treat from the Lord. Go ahead and enjoy it, says Solomon, because God does not deny his creatures the enjoyment of the good things he has made. But what honey is the palette, wisdom is to the soul. Do we think of it this way? Have we experienced the sweetness of wisdom, the satisfaction of seeing the truth, of understanding a situation, of avoiding the pitfalls of life, and negotiating a difficult path with skill so that we know we have navigated our way to the best outcome? We have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and yet have reached life and the darkness has not swallowed us up. We have obtained spiritual good from the Lord when many around us have perished because they trusted in themselves. Wisdom brings joy because it brings gain, even though we are threatened with loss. Wisdom has a good conscience because it does nothing to transgress he commandments of God in order to reach its goal. Wisdom is aware of the good hand of God assisting it on its way and increasing its strength when nature was about to fail. Wisdom appreciates the overruling of God in bringing great advantage out of a situation of seeming disadvantage. Wisdom deals with evil men and women in a way that is blameless, being as harmless as a dove, so that although we are faced with unscrupulous wickedness, we are not forced to compromise ourselves and the way we overcome is by always walking in the truth. The Lord has made wisdom to be sweet to our taste because we can appreciate that it is a rare commodity and is given only to those who are favoured by God. Wisdom is found in Christ and in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If we have Christ we are rich in wisdom for everything he teaches us is wise, and that wisdom comes down from above. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (James 3:17). That wisdom is only truly possessed by those who love Christ. What the world calls wisdom is of limited value. It is good for this life only, and cannot see beyond the horizon of death. It claims no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. It gives success in this world, but it has nothing to say about eternity and it is ready to sacrifice eternal happiness for a few transient pleasures in this life. Worldly wisdom knows that it is heading towards death, but heavenly wisdom is not satisfied with anything less than Christ himself. It is ready to lose all for him, and it rejects every alternative as substandard, unsatisfying, even hostile to the soul. How can the soul be content with anything that lasts only a fraction of the time that it will exist?