A small ice cream cone at our local Dairy Queen costs $2.79. The same size cone at Burger King and McDonalds cost $1.00. And not only does it taste as good maybe it’s just a bit better or is that psychological because it is such a bargain? Being happy about something definitely makes it sweeter and more beautiful. A respectful kind child is always better looking than a rude selfish child even if the rude one has better cheek bones.
The Psalmist felt that way about God’s law. In Psalm 119 he wrote, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”
God’s commandments are a guide for successful living. Our obedience makes God happy not because we are doing what He said, but because He knows they will prevent all manner of heartache and pain. Good parents are that way. If one wants to be smart, then trust the One who has seen it all and shares with us the formula for happiness. Therefore, according to the Psalmist they taste better than honey. The question is do they taste better than a cone from Burger King? Of course they do.
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 21, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org