"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones"
Notice the connection between body and soul. Pleasant words minister to both the body and the soul.
Solomon wants to shake us out of our normal response to others. We want to tell people what is wrong and needs attention. But, instead, if we are willing to think hard about encouraging, beautiful, or kind things to say to people, we have a great chance to accomplish what we want and to be healthier at the same time.
pleasant
This is the Hebrew word noam, which means pleasant, beauty, kindness, or favor.
The honeycomb was the dessert of that day. It was the highest concentration of sugar available at that time. It sweetened everything. So to say that something was like a honeycomb would bring an immediate picture of delight and great joy. That is what Solomon wants you to realize can be true about how you treat others. It can be a sweet treat for others to get positive words from you.
Notice that he says that the right kind of words minister to the body and the soul. There are very few things that can minister to both body and soul.
Work right now on what pleasant things you are going to say to the people that you will meet today. If you are not ready to say positive and encouraging kind things, they will never come up later.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz