An Acquired Taste

“My son, eat thou honey, because [it is] good; and the honeycomb, [which is] sweet to thy taste: So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom [be] unto thy soul: when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.” (Pr 24:13-14 AV)

Honey is an acquired taste.  You either love it or hate it.  My wife cannot stand honey.  Unless it is a minor ingredient in a recipe, she will not consume it.  It literally makes her gag. I have to admit; I didn’t like honey for the longest time.  To me, it tasted bitter.  However, the older I got, the sweeter honey tasted to my tongue.  The initial taste of honey is a bit weird.  It is still a bit bitter.  However, if you let the honey linger just a bit, it is very sweet.  When Solomon states that honey is sweet to the taste, he is telling the truth.  The sweetness of honey requires three things.  First, it requires that we place it on our tongue.  Second, it requires a small bit of patience, waiting for the sweetness to break through.  Third, because we exercise a minute amount of patience, we learn by experience that honey is sweet.  The older one gets and the more mature one becomes, the sweeter the taste of honey tastes.  Solomon’s analogy of wisdom to honey is a perfect one.

Wisdom is not easy to take.  In fact, because of our human nature, we often reject it.  Solomon is very specific here.  The knowledge of wisdom is a bit different from wisdom.  In the book of Proverbs, knowledge is the gathering of facts.  Understanding is how those facts work together.  Wisdom is the discipline to apply the principles learned from knowledge and understanding.  Therefore, when Solomon uses the term knowledge of wisdom, that to what he is referring is knowing how principles apply.  More specifically, the knowledge of wisdom is knowing how to apply truth, why to apply truth, and what direct application it has for our situation.  Knowledge of wisdom is perhaps the hardest to bear.  We learn facts.  Facts are facts.  They are neutral.  Understanding is not personal.  We learn how those facts develop into principles.  The hardest thing to overcome is knowing those principles need to be applied.  We oftentimes learn how uncomfortable or life-changing those principles are.

It’s sort of like seeing your doctor and he goes over your lab work.  He points out a few areas of concern.  Perhaps A1Cs are too high.  Maybe one’s cholesterol is a bit off.  There is always the possibility of our blood pressure being too high.  Our weight is definitely not ideal.  The doctor advises some life-style changes.  Diet and exercise are high on the list.  Maybe a medication or two.  More vitamins.  So far, so good.  When it becomes uncomfortable is when he or she tells us these changes apply to us.  Sure, we can tell someone else they need to diet.  But tell me I have to cut back on bad carbs, do more walking, and be sure to take my meds?  Now it becomes a bit uncomfortable.  Applying advice is bitter.  We don’t like to change.  We don’t like to improve.  Yet, when we submit to what is best for us, our souls experience humility, surrender, and a better sense of self-worth.  This is to what Solomon is saying.  Like honey that is initially bitter to the tongue, if we grow up and let the honey set just a bit, it becomes sweet to the tongue.  A brisk walk on a sunny day builds vitamin D3, gives us an outlet for stress, and builds an optimistic spirit.  Cutting back on bad carbs takes off a few pounds.  We have more bounce in our step.  Biting the bullet and getting an organized pill box, taking our meds every day, and regular checkups may seem like a chore.  But we take more pride in our life and what we can do for God.  In short, wisdom is a hard pill to swallow.  Coming to the point where we submit to wisdom might be a bitter taste, but finally, admitting God was right all along is sweet to the soul.