The Commands of the Lord

The reason the Psalmist says that the commands of the Lord are "delightful" and "sweeter than honey" is that the Lord gives what He commands.  His commandment is a gift to those who love Him.  If He says, "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole mind, and your whole soul," then that's what He wants to do in us.    St. Paul says, "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit."  We could no more "achieve" this goal than we could fly unaided.  But God sends us spiritual wings and the Breath/ Ruah of His Spirit to lift us above our normal capabilities and enable us to love Him beyond our means. 

He is the beginning (the command) and the end (the carrying out of the command).  And yet He gives us the reward, as though we had carried out the command ourselves. 

Blessed is the man who walks in his ways; he shall be like a tree planted near running water.  His leaf shall not wither...whatever he does, prospers (Ps. 1)

Psalm 119 is the song of one who knows the joy of following the commands of the Lord:  The Word of God accomplishes what it commands.  Teresa of Avila speaks of the Lord as a Gardener Who causes virtues to grow in the soil of our hearts.  He prepares the soil, ridding it of weeds, breaking up the clods, nourishing and strengthening what is poor and weak.  Then He plants the seed, waters and feeds it, and watches over the young plant as it grows.  He is the One Who says, "I have called you that you bear fruit, and that your fruit remain."