Here is another way to translate Psalm 119:111; "Your statutes are my inheritance forever; they are the joy of my heart."  That's the problem with translating poetry from another language; you have to play with the words to get them to work!  What rhymes in French may not rhyme in English!  And Hebrew poetry, like the psalms, don't rhyme at all; the essense of Hebrew poetry is balance, some might say repetition.

Okay, enough said about that.  What strikes me about this passage is that it is the law that is referred to as both an inheritance and the joy of the psalmist's heart.  I've made a new friend who is Jewish; Rabbi Michael.  (One of many Jewish friends I have, including Ken who describes himself as a Jew who accepts Jesus as his savior.)  And for Rabbi Michael, there is nothing more beautiful and soothing than God's law.  That isn't how I'm used to thinking about the law; as a Christian and as an American, it is liberty and independence and, quite frankly, grace that are beautiful and meaningful.  (Obviously, Michael and I speak freely about our faith; we talk about what he believes and how he feels about the law, and we talk about what I believe and how it is through Christ and by faith that we access the grace of God and experience the forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with God.  We know what each other believe, we don't agree, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends!)

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross set us free, not only from slavery to sin, but also slavery to the law.  But even the apostle Paul had to admit that the law didn't only bring about an awareness of guilt and God's wrath and our need for forgiveness; but for the forgiven believer it becomes a compass that shows us the way to go if we, who are now slaves to righteousness, want to live a life that is pleasing to God.  And I guess there can be no more valuable inheritance or greater joy than that!