Mensa Otabil - God's Word Is Sweeter Than Honey (10/24/2025)
We’ve been looking at Psalm 19 and examining the Word of God and how we should approach it. Now we are in verses 10 and 11. It says, «More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.» God’s Word has been presented to us. Remember, we started Psalm 19 with God speaking to us through the heavens, declaring the glory of the Lord. It then progresses to tell us about the Word of God, which reveals God’s special revelation-His written Word, the Bible-giving us instruction, His judgment, His fear, and all of that. Now, the psalmist shifts gear. He tells us that the Word of God must be precious to us, stating that the Word of God must be desired more than gold.
Gold is representative of money, and money is a very great force. We work for it, waking up in the morning running after it and going to sleep still chasing after it. We go to school so that we can make more money because money is a very important medium of exchange by which we solve our physical problems and so on and so forth. Money is a very central part of our lives, yet the Word of God must be more desirable than money. Think about all that you do to get money, and then consider what you do to know God’s Word. What we do to know God’s Word must be more than what we do to get money. That’s a very high order. All of us, even pastors, are not able to really desire God’s Word with that same intensity for survival as we want for our daily bread.
It’s important that the Word of God becomes central to our pursuits. We must know it not just when we need a miracle or a breakthrough. Many times, people use the Bible as a magical book. They want a miracle, pick a verse, and hope that it will give them something. That’s not how we approach it. The Word of God must be studied methodically and systematically over a long period of time because we get to know God through that. Moreover, the Word of God must also be desired more than honey. Honey represents anything that is sweet, and in a larger sense, it means pleasure. We must desire God’s Word more than our pleasure-the things that make us feel good, the things that we love doing. Each one of us loves honey or pleasurable things, such as food, traveling, and having fun.
The Word of God must be desired more than pleasure. Thus, the Word of God must be more important to us than money and more important than our happiness, joy, and pleasure. If you take these two out, these are the two most important desires of human beings: the pursuit of money and the pursuit of happiness. The Bible says it must be desired; God’s Word must be desired more than these things. This means you and I have a significant challenge to know God’s Word. We must know God’s Word not only in times of crisis but also as a daily pursuit. It must give us joy to enter into God’s will, and I hope that you find joy as you read the Bible every day.
It says that this Word of God gives us great reward; by it we are warned, and God rewards us through it. When we desire God’s Word more than money and more than pleasure, God rewards us. He doesn’t primarily reward us with money or pleasure; He rewards us with His presence, peace, and joy. The more you get to know the Lord, the more settled you are in life, and things don’t shake you too easily because you know God; you know His nature and can trust Him in difficult times to take you through. The reward of the Lord is the reward of Himself; He gives us Himself as our reward, and I pray that we will receive that reward in our lives.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, Your Word is better than gold. I receive the reward of my faith in Your promises. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.