sweeter than honey

I'm back at the Psalms in my daily devotional reading. I don't know how many times I can go through David's verses, and something new strike me. This time I'm reading in my new Bible, a parallel with both the King James Version and New Living Translation.

Psalm 19:1-2  "The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known."

The latter part of Psalm 19 is David taking delight in the law of the Lord. This probably seems a little odd to some people; many people perceive Christianity as "a list of rules" that repress natural inclinations.  But here David writes: "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul . . . The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living . . . The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward to those who obey them."

In the NLT, verse 7 reads: "The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul..." In the KJV, it says: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Converting. What does that mean? Something about the law of God touches our very core -- transforming, changing, converting our very soul. Reviving it back to the life it was designed for.

God is not about forcing us to do things we hate. Yes, sometimes we need to obey him when we don't understand. But ultimately, he will change us and give us the true desires of our souls. He wants us to delight in him, to delight in his word and his law.

As I get older, I'm beginning to see more and more how life-giving the law of God is. I have followed God throughout my teenage years and now my early twenties. I am reaping major benefits in my life. I have been protected from so much, shielded from carrying painful scars. Life still happens and things aren't perfect, but the commandments of the Lord give clear insight for navigating this life.

In Psalm 21:6, David talks about himself, the king: "You [God] have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence." When I first read this in the NLT, I read it as meaning God granted David his presence. But the KJV reads: "For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance."

Maybe I'm reading too much into the word change, but doesn't the KJV sound a bit more like God planted desire and delight in David? The grace of God amazes me. God keeps us and provides what we need to follow him. If you lack faith, ask for it. If you lack a desire for God, ask for it. If you lack wisdom, ask for it. God can handle your questions and your weaknesses -- in Psalm 22, David peppers God with questions: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" There is nothing sinful in this question, because Jesus himself later asks the same thing as he hangs on the cross. Following God is not a struggle of willpower ... it is deepening dependence on him.

Today I'm praying that God would make me exceeding glad with his countenance ... that I would learn to love him more and more ...