“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” (Psalm 119:103, NLT)

“”Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.” (Ezekiel 3:3, BSB)

Have you ever wondered why the word of God is described as sweet? There are several instances of the Word of God being described as food. However some verses go beyond the fact that it is food, to emphasise just how sweet it is.

Why that description though? What does it really mean? To be sweet is defined as having a pleasant taste, “pleasing in general, delightful.” The Word of God is sweet to our minds, bodies and souls because it is the Word of A Loving Father to His precious, beloved children. Because it is comforting, strengthening, uplifting. Because it is full of wisdom that induces hope. Because it delights, builds us up, fortifies us, heals us. It is like healthy comfort food. Imagine a decadent chocolate caramel cake with the nutritional value of a decent salad bowl. Win-win :-)! Evidence of these characteristics of the Word of God can be seen in these verses below:

 “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” – Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV)

 “Remember the word to Your servant, Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” – Psalm 119:49-50 (ESV)

 “My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.” – Proverbs 4:20-22 (BSB)

“Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.” (Proverbs 24:14, BSB)

How do we respond to knowing all this about the Word of God? You might have heard the popular saying, “you are what you eat.” I guess a question that naturally follows is, ‘what are you eating’? While what we eat physically is important, it is even more important to assess what we are eating spiritually.

So, what are you feeding your Spirit? Hopefully, the answer to that question is ‘the Word of God’. But if not, why not? If you truly believe that a food is not just nourishing but also sweet, what would stop you from eating it? Especially if you are living in a country where it is readily available and free?

One of the reasons someone may not eat it at all, or not eat it as often as they should, is if they do not believe or realise just how nourishing, sweet and vital it is.

In Psalm 23, we read that God prepares a table, a feast for us, in the presence of our enemies. When you think of this feast, what comes to your mind? I like to think that this feast can be both spiritual and physical, because God cares about us being fed both spiritually and physically. We see evidence of that in the account of the feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6:34-44 and in several other passages. However, my focus for this blog post is on the spiritual nature of this feast, especially given that it is ‘prepared in the presence of our enemies.’ And as we know from Ephesians 6:11-18, the Word of God is a crucial component of the armour we need as we wrestle spiritual forces in this world. Nevertheless, whether physical or spiritual, the Word of God is the most amazing, wholesome, all-encompassing banquet we can ever have the privilege of feasting on.

I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of how amazing the Word of God is in just one blog post. Did you know that the longest Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 119, is primarily about a passion for God’s Word? That gives us a peek into just how fascinating it is. It is also interesting to note that it was David who wrote Psalm 119, and who described the Word of God as being as sweet as honey. At the time he wrote it, the Scripture consisted of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. Compared to what we have today, that was like a starter, an appetiser. And yet, even in Psalm 19, 9-11 (NLT), David says, “Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.” Isn’t that such a beautiful truth? As such, shouldn’t we who have a much fuller meal find it even sweeter and more satisfying?

There are indeed people who realise just how precious, sweet and valuable the Word of God is. In countries were Bibles are not allowed, some people have been willing to risk their very lives to share it, to lay hold of it, to read it. For those of us who have easy access to Bibles, may we not fall into the trap of becoming so used to the Word of God that we forget just how precious and sacred it is. And may the god of this world not succeed in blinding us to the immense value of feasting on the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4).

There are other reasons why we may not be consuming the Word of God as we should. Another one is found in Proverbs 27:7 (GNT), “When you are full, you will refuse honey, but when you are hungry, even bitter food tastes sweet.” Have you ever experienced being so stuffed full, that even your favourite food does not appeal to you? It stands to reason that if we are full of things of the world, even something extremely delicious, nutritious and appetising will not appeal to us.

Why would we fill ourselves with things that pale significantly in comparison to the Word of God? It is like having a choice between two meals, and going for the junk, tasteless, nutrition-less one, rather than rich, tasty, sweet, nutrition-dense one. Especially if we can afford either with our currency of time and opportunity. Probably because on the surface, the things of this world may seem to be more appealing. Luke 8:14 (NLT) notes, “The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.” A solution to this is to consistently go beyond the surface and see the riches the Word of God offers that the things of this world cannot even hope to offer. Then we will want to rid ourselves of whatever is filling us and taking the space that the Word of God should be taking in our lives.

When we fill ourselves with God’s word, it also has the effect of purging us of sin. Have you ever eaten food and needed to use the restroom shortly after? That should be one of the effects of consuming the Word of God, to want to get rid of the sin in our lives straightaway. This will happen if we are consuming it as we should. In Ezekiel 3, while we read that the Word was sweet, the message Ezekiel actually had to deliver to the Israelites after receiving that Word was a difficult one. However, we can rest confident that irrespective of how unnerving this may seem, the cleansing power of the Word of God is good for us. 2 Timothy 3:15-16 reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God, and “is profitable for teaching, for correction, for direction and for a course in righteousness, That the man of God will be perfect and perfected for every good work.” (The Aramaic Bible IPE).

To emphasise, this only works if we do what it says. James 1:22-25 (NLT) says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Psalm 34:8 tells us to “taste and see”. And as J.C. Ryle notes, “ It is not looking at the bread that feeds the hungry man but the actual eating of it.”

It is interesting that the Word of God is likened to not just any sweet substance (like my lovely chocolate cake earlier), but honey. Honey is not just sweet, it has medicinal properties. Proverbs 4:22 tells us that “they (i.e. God’s Words) are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body”. There is a key action verb there though, ‘to find’. Like miners, we need to go beyond the surface to discover treasures. To do so, we can use various tools, techniques, and strategies.

What then are some of the tips and techniques we can adapt to enhance our study of God’s word?

1.

Praying before we ‘eat’ is always a good place to start. Most people pray before eating physical food, so it makes sense to do the same before eating spiritual food. To truly study and understand the Word of God, the help of the Holy Spirit is essential. The Bible is no ordinary book, so our approach to studying and meditating on it should reflect that distinction.

2.

Setting aside quality time to really chew on the word again and again, to ruminate, to marinate ourselves in the word, to let it enter us, change us and subsequently enhance our flavour. Chefs will know the difference that marinating meat can make to its flavour and texture. While even a taste of the Word of God is sweet, we need to go beyond just tasting. There are depths and insights in the Bible that we will only receive if we spend quality time chewing on it and savouring it. In a sense, it is like eating a dish with a constantly evolving flavour, each taste a new experience. It is amazing how we can read the same Bible passage repeatedly, and get different insights and lessons almost every time.

Furthermore, if we chew food and spit it out immediately, it doesn’t quite have the nutritional effect it should. As such, allowing ourselves to digest the word of God is key. We need to let the Word of God get to our hearts, dwell in our hearts and change us from the inside out. The Word of God is food to our Spirit, like natural food to our body, and what we ingest ultimately becomes part of who we are.

Deuteronomy 6:69 (NLT) gives us some tips for doing so, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” We should surround ourselves with the Word of God until it surrounds and penetrates our hearts.

3.

Just like physical meals, there are times when it is good to eat with other people and there are times when it is good to eat solo. We can learn so much from studying the Word of God with others. However, there might also be times when we need to go at our own pace and delve deeper into certain subjects that God may be personally speaking to us about. A balance of both approaches is helpful in feasting on God’s Word.

4.

It is wise to make sure that we are using the right tools in our study, much like we won’t use a knife or fork to eat soup, or a spoon to slice and dice. 2 Timothy 2:15 talks about rightly dividing the Word of truth. Other translations say, ‘accurately handling’, ‘correctly explaining’, ‘skillfully teaching’. Irrespective of the term used, we cannot rightly divide God’s Word without the help of God’s Spirit. A variety of translations, concordances, commentaries, translations, pictorial representations, maps can sometimes be helpful in understanding the wider context of the Bible, although these should never take the place of the Holy Spirit. Devotionals and having Bible study leaders are good, but again, should not take the place of studying the Bible for ourselves. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were commended for being “more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.” In other words, they did not just stop at listening to the Apostles, but carried out their own personal study, delving deeper into the Word of God. We cannot obey the requirement in 1 John 4:1 to test all Spirits, if we do not know the measure against which to test them, and that measure is the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

5.

Making our consumption of God’s Word habitual is really helpful. Just like we set aside time for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we can set aside certain times of the day to study God’s Word, and make it a consistent habit. As we know, it can take a while for a habit to be ingrained. Studies show it can be anything from a few weeks to months. Again, consistency and devotion are vital, and if we maintain that, before we know it, it will be second nature to us.

6.

It is vital that in addition to making it habitual, we feed on a balanced diet of God’s word. There is milk, bread, meat etc. At the end of the day, we need all food groups, just like we need the entire Bible. Sometimes we may need comfort, but sometimes we may also need correction. As such, we should not neglect the part of the Bible that is for correction because we only want to hear words of comfort all the time. We cannot approach the Bible like we would a pick and mix stand or sweet dispenser, using a carnal mind to decide what appeals to us. There are passages that are tough and quite harrowing to read, no doubt about that. However one of the beauties of the Bible is that it is full of both grace and truth. It does not shy away from stating events as they happened. Yet in the midst of so much evil, wickedness and depravity, God’s grace, love and justice shine through. Furthermore, the message of the Bible as a whole is one so beautiful and sweet, and if we don’t come to that conclusion at the end, then it might be that we are like the Ethiopian Eunuch, and we need ‘the help of the Holy Spirit, the help of a Philip, or the help of a new, open heart’.

The good news though is that Jesus meets us where we are at. New born babies require milk. However, as they grow, milk alone will not be sufficient to meet their needs, so they transition to soft food. With time, as their teeth begin to come through, they can expand their diet. Similarly, one of the signs of a maturing believer is their desire and readiness to move beyond the milk to the solid meat of the Word. We should ideally not stay in a place of living on milk and baby food endlessly. In Hebrews 5:12-14 (BSB), the Hebrews are criticised for their failure to progress in this respect: “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word.  You need milk, not solid food! For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.” Babies and toddlers also cry and throw tantrums when they don’t get exactly what they want, but older children and adults recognise that sometimes we may not get what we want, but we will get what we need. Similarly, the Word of God may not always say what our physical man wants to hear, but it will give us truths, delivered on a plate of grace, that are just what we need.

It is important to state that if we focus primarily on feeding our physical body and fail to feed our Spirit man appropriate meals, we will end up with a good looking physical body and a malnourished, weak, frail Spirit man. A buff, well-nourished body outside and a kwashiorkor patient inside. That is no good, especially given the kind of fight we are faced with as Christians, a fight that is far more spiritual than physical (Ephesians 6:12). However, even in that fight, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57, BSB).

Ultimately the full manifestation of the Word of God is Jesus Christ (John 1, 6:33). In John 6:35 (NLT), “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”” We eat to sustain our physical bodies, to sustain life. Jesus is life and He gives life, abundant life, life to the full (John 14:6, 10:10). The Bible Project (a resource I highly recommend) notes, “From page one to the final word, we believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.” And the hymn writer says, “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word, Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord””. Trusting in Jesus and the rich, nourishing Word of God is indeed so, so sweet!

I pray that as we reflect on this, we will be encouraged to delve deeper into this sweet Word of God and discover its wondrous treasures and delights, to fully feast on it, and to let it change us through and through, moulding us and equipping us to be all that God has called us to be. Amen.

Image source here.