Skip to main content

Hating...

             If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.  Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. (Psalm 139:19-22)

 

            And today presents us with another abrupt change of direction, one that might give the real reason for the prayer. David has praised and thanked God. In a sense, he’s confessed his dependence and his relationship with God. This section includes a request: “slay the wicked.” And the wicked seem to have been right there, because David included a rebuke at them in the song. After that, David justified himself. These enemies weren’t David’s personal enemies. They were the enemies of God and as such, they were David’s enemies, too.

            The question that we face with this part of the psalm is whether or not it is right to hate one’s enemies. Jesus taught that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44.) Both the Old Testament and New Testament teach that we should love our neighbors and not seek revenge. (Leviticus 19:18.)  But the people David wrote about weren’t necessarily his enemies. They became his enemies by being God’s enemies.

            This strikes home today. The world hates God and His people. And some Christians suggest that we should reciprocate. But Scripture doesn’t teach us to hate the world. It warns us not to love the world. Not hating does not mean loving, and not loving does not mean hating. This is similar to the idea that we should love the sinner but hate the sin. But, if we are going to hate, we should discuss it with God, as David did. The danger in either loving or hating the world – or people – is that putting the level of energy involved in either love or hate tends to result in our becoming like what we love or hate. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more