Ps 18:10

“"Sweet is the Word that gives us light, precious above gold and gems; it is to be desired above honey and the honey-comb." For how can it be other than desirable, since it has filled with light the mind which had been buried in darkness, and given keenness to the "light-bringing eyes" of the soul? For just as, had the sun not been in existence, night would have brooded over the universe notwithstanding the other luminaries of heaven; so, had we not known the Word, and been illuminated by Him; we should have been nowise different from fowls that are being fed, fattened in darkness, and nourished for death. Let us then admit the light, that we may admit God; let us admit the light, and become disciples to the Lord.”

“Renunciation [is] … the severance of the bonds of this material and transient life and freedom from human concerns, whereby we render ourselves more fit to set out on the road leading to God. It is the unhindered impulse toward the possession and enjoyment of inestimable goods, "more to be desired than gold and many precious stones." In short, it is the transference of the human heart to a heavenly mode of life, so that we can say, "But our conversation is in heaven." Also—and this is the chief point—it is the first step toward the likeness to Christ, who, being rich, became poor for our sake. Unless we attain to this likeness, it is impossible for us to achieve a way of life in accord with the gospel of Christ.”

“[The words of God, the prophet says,] are "desirable above gold and a very precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb," but they are so only to those in sound health. Therefore he added, "For your servant keeps them." And elsewhere again, after saying that they are sweet, he added, "to my palate." "How sweet to my palate," he says, "are your promises." And he goes on to insist on their excellence by the words "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth," because he was in very sound health. Well, then, let us not on our part approach these words in ill health, but let us receive nourishment from them, after having restored our souls to health.”

“"The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together." The judgments of Him, who "judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son," are justified in truth unchangeably. For neither in His threatenings nor His promises doth God deceive any man, nor can any withdraw either from the ungodly His punishment, or from the godly His reward. "To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone" (ver. 10). Whether it be "gold and stone itself much," or "much precious," or "much to be desired;" still, the judgments of God are to be desired more than the pomp of this world; by desire of which it is brought to pass that the judgments of God are not desired, but feared, or despised, or not believed. But if any be himself gold and precious stone, that he may not be consumed by fire, but received into the treasury of God, more than himself does he desire the judgments of God, whose will he preferreth to his own. "And sweeter than honey and the honey comb." And whether one be even now honey, who, disenthralled already from the chains of this life, is awaiting the day when he may come up to God's feast; or whether he be yet as the honey comb, wrapped about with this life as it were with wax, not mixed and become one with it, but filling it, needing some pressure of God's hand, not oppressing but expressing it, whereby from life temporal it may be strained out into life eternal: to such an one the judgments of God are sweeter than he himself is to himself, for that they are "sweeter than honey and the honey comb."”

“The fear of the Lord is clean: – with reference to the things a man does in secret or without their being known, like theft, or falsifying measures and weights, and such like; and these are the things about which it is said, “But thou shall fear thy God, I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:11, 12, 14, 32; 25:17, 36, 43). And the fear which is clean is without dross; for a man will refrain from performing wicked deeds which are public from fear of men; but such metal is not pure, for there is alloy in it; but if from performing secret things a man refrains by reason of the fear of God only, that fear is clean, for in it there is no alloy. And he says: enduring for ever: – because these are commandments which are limited as regards place and time, while the things which stand in the fear of the Lord endure for ever. They have no time-limit. Or he says endure for ever with reference to the whole Law, inasmuch as God did not appoint it for a time only, but it is for ever and ever. It is not as the unbelieving Nazarenes say when they assert that the Law which was given on Mount Sinai was valid only for a time, until the advent of Jesus the Nazarene; that unto his time it was carnal, while after his advent he commanded it to be understood spiritually; but their words are windy, empty, and vain. For the. commandments, which they say are figurative and not to be understood according to their literal sense, God enjoined explicitly and not by way of figure. Such being the case, no one would understand the rest of the commandments in a figurative sense, but according to their literal meaning; for if the commandments were figurative they would be uncertain; one would say that the hidden meaning is such and such, and another would say it is so and so; but the Scripture says (Deut. 30:11) “For this commandment which I command thee this day is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off.” And if there had been in the commandments hidden meanings, and if they were not to be understood in their literal sense, then they would be “hard ”and “far off.” The judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether: – Already we have interpreted the “judgments” as being the regulations (which govern the relations) between a man and his fellow, and they are all words of truth open to the eyes, and they are all righteous altogether in none of them is there injustice. There are some, however, who explain the reason for his juxtaposition of the Law and the sun as designed to shew the benefit derived from it (the Law) as greater than that of the sun; for there are some things which the sun injures, but the Law is beneficial in all matters, and therefore he says the Law of the Lord is perfect; it is complete, for in all the ways of this world and the world to come men find benefit in it. And he says restoring the soul, for as for the sun, when a man rests in its heat too much, he may be seized with a fatal illness, as it says of Jonah (4:8), “And the sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted.” The Law, however, is not so, for it restoreth the soul to the body, which is preserved by it. It happens also sometimes that the sun enters into a man's brain and he goes mad; but the Law is not so, but giveth understanding to the simple. Also when a man remains (exposed) to the sun much, he is fearful of heat; but not so is it with the treasures of the Lord, for they rejoice the heart. As for the sun, when a man looks at its body intently his eyes grow dim, but it is not so with the commandment of the Lord, for it is pure, giving light to the eyes. The clouds conceal the sun; the fear of the Lord, however, is clean and bright, and nothing conceals nor hides it. The sun gives light by-day, but not by night; the fear of the Lord abideth for ever. The light and heat of the sun are not equal all through the day, for till midday it increases and from midday, and onwards it decreases; but it is not so with the judgments of the Lord, for they are true, righteous altogether, and do not contradict one another.”

“The commandments of God are irreproachable, because they contain nothing burdensome, but rather they are sweet. "More to be desired than gold and much precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." But we see that to an infected palate sweet food seems bitter; similarly, to a man of perverse will the commandments of God, which are easy and sweet, seem difficult.”

“"More to be desired." Above, the Psalmist commended the divine law as to its rectitude; here he commends it as to its sweetness and pleasantness. And concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth its commendation. Second, he proves such a commendation, at "For your servant keeps them." He prefers the law, as to the desire of the soul, to all worldly things. Now in worldly things, exterior riches and bodily pleasures are desired. And the delight of the law of God is above these. As to the first, he says that these things which have been said are "more to be desired than gold": Prov. 8: "Wisdom is better than all the most precious riches, and nothing desirable can compare with it": Ps. 118: "I have loved your commandments above gold," and so on. And he touches on those two things that men desire; hence he says "gold," and pomp, hence "precious stone." Precious stones serve only for appearance; hence "much" can refer either to the stone or to "precious." Likewise, as to the second, he says, "And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb": Ps. 118: "How sweet are your words to my jaws, sweeter than honey to my mouth." He says "honey and honeycomb" with respect to bodily pleasures. Honey is extracted from wax, but the honeycomb is honey and wax together. Bodily pleasures are sometimes manifest, and so it is honey; sometimes they are hidden and sweeter, and so it is the honeycomb: Prov. 9: "Stolen waters are sweeter," and so on. Or, they are preferred to the honeycomb because of the Old Testament, in which the truth is in the figure like honey in the comb; and to honey because of the New Testament, where the truth is manifest. But are spiritual delights more delightful? It must be said that yes, and there is a threefold reason. First, on the part of the good that gives delight, which is a greater good, and from the cause of delight, which is a greater good, therefore more delightful. Second, on the part of the power that delights, because the intellectual power is stronger than the sensory power. Third, from the manner of the delights. Bodily delights consist in becoming and in motion, as in food and other things. But motion is something imperfect, and implies something future and past, because the whole is not had all at once. Spiritual delights, however, are not in motion, because they consist in loving and understanding the good, which is not in motion. But accidentally, those bodily delights are more desired, insofar as some abound in sense but are lacking in intellect. Or, holy men love the precepts of God more than themselves. And the saints are designated by gold and precious stone: 1 Cor. 3: "If anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones." Likewise, by honey and honeycomb are signified those who are strangers to worldly things; but the honeycomb signifies those who still take delight in worldly things. And such people, because they are not entirely detached, love themselves more than the precepts; others love the precepts more than themselves.”