Psalm 119:163

Psalm 119:163

Love and hate

Love and hate, strong words that are at the opposite poles of the range of human emotions. Both readily expressed, often felt, and very much part of the personalities of all of us. In this verse the contrast between these two could not be clearer, but the writer’s motivation would be an enigma to most people. His zeal for God’s law is so powerful that it awakens righteous hatred for those who reject it. Most people who love the law of God would adopt a self-righteous stand against lawbreakers, but to detest them is to feel very strong negative emotions indeed. Yet, if we think about it, the more we are attracted to something, the more we will abhor its opposite! If we say we love the Lord and love His commands, then it is inevitable that we will hate the breaking of those commands. And the more our love intensifies, the greater will be our disdain of those who reject and rebel against our God. Which brings us to the inevitable question, do we detest the way God’s law is openly and willingly broken? Are we so poisoned by the culture around us that we turn a blind eye to the wicked and tolerate their open rebellion. Have we swallowed the lie that each person is entitled to their own opinions and moral standards, and it is not our place to judge? Have we allowed ourselves to compromise and to keep quiet when others are openly breaking the laws of our God? 

Most law-breaking is based on the assumption that the perpetrators will not get caught. This is not true, people are believing a lie, they will get caught, maybe not in this life but certainly in the life to come, when our God will hold all men accountable for their actions whilst on earth. It may not be our place to replace Him as judges, but it is also not our place to turn a blind eye to outright evil! We can love all men, but the closer we grow to the Lord, the more we will hate their evil deeds. 

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