Proverbs 24:13-14 (ESV)
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
One of the wonderful gifts the Lord graces humanity with is the ability to enjoy food. In Saying 26, the son is encouraged to experience the sweetness of honey, which was highly prized in the ancient Near East. Honey not only tastes sweet, but was also believed to have healing properties. The father then explains why the son should appreciate the gifts of God, as he makes a parallel between honey and wisdom. Just as honey is full of sweetness and healing, so too is wisdom, even more so. By embracing biblical wisdom, the son is assured of the beauty, security, and joy of heaven, that come from trusting in God and following after the Lord’s design and desire for human life. Every good and perfect gift we enjoy in life comes from the Lord. As you are blessed by the pleasures of life today, realize that they are only glimpses of all that God has in the life to come for those who love him.