Proverbs 27:7 “A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.”
I love the message this verse brings to us. It would be easy to look at this and say it is about our physical appetite. When we are hungry, just about anything will taste sweet to us, no matter how much we despise its taste. It could be the most bitter, saltiest, or hottest food, but we would enjoy eating it if we were hungry. I mean really hungry. When most of us say we are hungry, we really don’t know or understand what hunger is. Ours is a different hunger than children in Africa suffer many times. Ours is a hunger for one meal or two, whereas theirs might be days and weeks of being hungry. On the other hand, if we are satisfied in our bellies, even something sweet is distasteful. When we don’t want anymore, we really don’t, because it would just give us indigestion. So we loathe food when we are really full.
But I do not think this verse is talking about our physical appetites. I believe Solomon was talking about our spiritual lives in this verse. Let’s break it down by looking at it from this perspective. A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb and is talking about someone who thinks he has it all together. He is proud of his knowledge and wisdom and knows he is on top of it all. He is satisfied with his level of spiritual growth and exudes an air of arrogance. He is full of himself and his own strength and power. When someone comes to him and tries to lovingly correct him, he despises it. He doesn’t need correction on any matter, so he loathes even the sweetest word of rebuke. I know this person because I once was him.
But the hungry soul thinks that even the bitter thing is like honey. He is ready to receive from others and takes it in hoping he can get it right this time. He does not have it all together and knows it. He wants people to correct him, even if it is a bitter pill to swallow. These words of rebuke or correction are taken in and put to good use. This person gets something out of every sermon he hears and never thinks the message is for someone else. He knows he is hungry for the truth, and he listens carefully to find what is in the word today for him. He finds something new that needs attention in his life with every reading of the scripture and knows that God is always trying to help him grow and is always speaking to him through his word. He is ready for correction and takes it in willingly. Even if it is bitter! This is me today (for the most part).
Which person are you today? Can you be offended if someone comes to you and tries to tell you that you’re wrong, and tries to explain what you need to do differently? I learned this saying at Pure Life Ministries ” If you are offended, what miserable piece of flesh is left in you that can be offended.” We are supposed to be dead to this flesh, which can easily get offended, and live for Christ instead. If we are truly following the word, any correction by a brother or sister will be sweet to our soul, and we should be happy when these things come. In the portion of scripture, we read a lot about our words, and about pride. The measure of a man is shown in his ability to speak with grace, and to be in a place where he can always learn. Are you that person?
When my granddaughter was living with us for almost 2 years, this truth was a blessing to me. There were lots of tests and troubles during that time and I needed to learn a lot of patience and gentleness. My wife had many words of correction for me, as did my granddaughter, and I had a choice whether their words would be bitter or sweet. For the most part, I chose to make them a part of me by allowing my soul to be hungry for correction. It was not easy for me, but God helped me, along with a loving wife. I learned a lot from my teenage granddaughter that would not have been learned if I thought I knew all the answers.
James tells us that trials and tests are God’s perfecting agents (James 1:2-4). That is why we can take joy in them. Are you in a place in your walk with Christ, where you see trials as a blessing, and are ready to learn from that trial? If you despise the tests and trials that come your way, you are the first man. If you take them as a sweet part of your life and are ready to hear from the Lord, then you are like the second man. I urge you to take stock of your life and see where you stand. I pray you can learn to take the little, bitter lessons of today, even if they do come from someone who is 50 years younger than you!
Written by Peter Gardner
Purchase Peter’s book A Stroll with the Psalmist: Uplifting Poetry for Everyday Life here.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Grandfather Magazine
Featured Image by Diana Parkhouse from Pixabay
