Your Daily Slice

 

SIVAN 26

My Desire

 

“More desirable than gold, Than much fine gold; And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.” (Ps 19:10 ISR)

 

Gold has held a fascination, even an obsession, for mankind for eons: from mythology, with Jason’s Golden Fleece, to the history of Israel, with the construction of the Golden Calf, and even today, with the gold-plated roof on the Dome of the Rock. Gold equates riches and wealth, and for many, it represents societal status as well.  We have worshipped it, hoarded it, and for some, spent a lifetime searching for it.  And for what?  Does the ownership of much gold guarantee us residence in the olam haba, the world to come?

What could be more desirable that gold, and the wealth it represents?  In all the previous verses, all that we have been learning these last few days, combined and taken together, can never be measured by all the gold that is at present in the world today.  Narrowed down, it all represents Torah, the divine instructions in moral and righteous living, given to us by an Elohim that wants only the best for us.  When we make the decision that the Words of our Creator are more important to us than all the wealth available, we are firmly on the road to maturity, and eventually, the olam haba.

During the lifetime of our Psalmist, sugar was, for the most part, an unknown commodity.  Honey as a sweetener was extracted from the date palms that were (and still are) common in the middle east, and with the passage of time, bees and bee keeping were also important for the honey that they produced.  Honey that runs from the depths of a honeycomb is considered the purest of honey that is available, and it is much desired.  However, the satisfaction of a spoonful of honey is fleeting and temporary; it does not last.  The Word of our Elohim stands forever, and is the source of life (see Ps 119:89, 50).

 

“The Torah of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces …How sweet to my taste has Your word been, More than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:72, 103 ISR)

“I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12 AMPC)

 

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