Sweeter than Honey.

Dear Boys and Girls,

I wonder if you have ever read the words of David in the 119th psalm where he says that God's words are like “honey” in his mouth. Here are the words, in the 103rd verse of that psalm: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.”

Now David, of course, was once a little boy like so many of you, and David had to go along to school from day to day, just like many of you have. But, the school that David would have gone to many years ago in the land of Israel would be unlike most of the schools that most of you now attend in this day. For one thing David would sit on the floor in his school, and his teacher would sit on the floor, as well! Then, David wouldn't have a book to do his lessons on, but he would have a large piece of slate, and on this slate he would write his lessons from day to day. One of the most important lessons that David would have to do would be to write the letters of the Word of God on his slate, and because this was such an important lesson, the teacher did a very special thing each day.

When all the children had finished their writing of God's Word on their slate, the teacher would go round all the children and look for the one who had done the best. He would then take that child's slate and, then, boys and girls, David's teacher would do something that I'm certain you have never seen your school-teacher do — he would dip his finger into a little jar of honey that he had by his side and, then, he would take his finger with the honey on it, and he would “go over” the letters of the word of God on that slate. After that, he would sprinkle some sugary flour over the honey on the slate, and then, came the best part of all for the pupil whose slate had been chosen as the best: the teacher would hand the slate back to that pupil who would then lick all that scrumptious honey into his mouth, and then, smack his lips when it was finished!

Now, boys and girls, I'm sure David often got the prize when he was a little boy in a school just like that; and, perhaps, that's what he remembers in that 119th psalm when he says that God's words are sweeter than honey to his mouth. That honey that he licked off his slate was, indeed, sweet, but how sweet and precious he knew God's Word in the Bible to be, for it told him about his God and about the Saviour who was to come.

I trust boys and girls, that the bible will be like that to each of you.