Psalm 119:65-80

There I was, reading psalm 119 which focuses on the greatness of God's word. And then I came to verse 67; "Before I was aflicted I went astray..." Since I am reading the ESV (English Standard Version) I wondered if other translations use a different word. I had the NIV handy; "aflicted". I was thinking that maybe this was not the best translation. So I looked it up in my theological dictonary of the Old Testament; "aflicted". The editor commented that God permitted the psalmist to endure afliction that would drive him back to God's word. That brought to mind the thought; God would prefer his beloved children to receive pain and hardship for a little while in this life so that they could enjoy his eternal rest. That's not a pleasant thought but it make sense to me. And it led the psalmist to write this poem of the greatness of God's word. I guess he appreciated God's expression of tough love.
It took me almost 2 minutes to read this portion of this psalm.
Stuart