What Is Wisdom?Sýnishorn

Sweeter than Honey

Eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Prov. 24:13–14)

The creed of the stoic is expressed in the saying, “This too shall pass.” It’s meant to be both a comfort and a warning. Are you suffering, down in the dumps, filled with pain? Hang on! It will pass. Nothing lasts forever. Are you riding high, on a roll, on top of the world? Watch out! It will pass. The wheel will turn, and your downfall will come. Nothing lasts forever.

In a sense, the Bible agrees with this point of view. All physical things do pass away. Ecclesiastes says that everything under the sun is vanity, a striving after the wind. Hebrews asserts that “here we have no lasting city” (13:14). It’s not just our cities; all our achievements, possessions, youth, beauty, strength—none of it can last because nothing earthly lasts forever.

But that isn’t the ultimate truth. Some things do last forever. God’s wisdom is one; finding it gives you a future and hope. God’s Word is another. It’s sweeter than honey, more precious than gold. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Above all, Jesus himself is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). That’s why “we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14), our forever home with himself that Jesus has promised us.

As you pray, give thanks for all that lasts forever.