GREAT EXPECTATIONS OF MAN'S LOVE:
IN THE WRITINGS—LOVE THAT DISCRIMINATES (Ps 97:10)
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
IN THE WRITINGS—LOVE THAT DISCRIMINATES (Ps 97:10)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
Married couples, however much they may think alike, rarely agree on everything. Hence, that relationship, if it is to avoid conflict, is often characterized by compromise. When there is a point of disagreement, each party will adjust its individual expectations so they can both meet somewhere in the middle. At least, that is how it is supposed to work.
Although the psalms were often written for specific occasions, they commonly speak in general terms that can apply to many situations. Ps 97 is a hymn to God's kingship (Sabourin 1974:202). It begins with a vivid description of the Lord's appearance (theophany), as He bends all creation to His sovereign will.
If you are not there already, please turn to Ps 97 and consider with me v. 10, whose initial admonition describes...1
I. The Character of the Righteous
"Hate" is a strong word and, although a fairly common term in scripture, it does not often appear in the form of a command. In fact, there is only one other occurrence, when God speaks through the prophet Amos and says simply...6
There are some in our society who think that calling anything evil is wrong, because what is evil to one person is not necessarily evil to another person. And who are you to judge another?7 (For example, those who hold this opinion objected to Pres. Bush's characterization of Islamic terrorists as "evildoers," a biblical term [18x].8 After all, a terrorist to one person is a freedom fighter to another.) The premise of such an argument is that there are no such absolute values as good and evil; there are only varying shades of gray that reflect different opinions about morality, all of which are equally valid. That might be true, if such judgments were up to us, but there is One far greater than we are who has established a difference—a difference between right and wrong as well as between good and evil—and He expects us to recognize that difference. This is a characteristic of the righteous: They hate evil.
So, what is the "evil" God's people should hate? I examined all the passages in scripture where this word occurs and discovered that what God hates are the same things God's people should hate.9
When a society shifts from moral absolutism to moral relativism, it erases the distinction between right and wrong. For example, once our primary concern was the collapse of marriage, as the divorce rate rose. Now that concern has shifted to the composition of marriage, as people debate the acceptability of same-sex unions. When a society decides to erase the distinction between right and wrong, the next step is to reverse that distinction where, as the prophet Isaiah warns, people "call evil good and good evil" (Isa 5:20a).11 We are heading in that direction.
There is an element of risk for the righteous to "love the LORD [and] hate evil." They may not be very popular. Some people will avoid them or ridicule them or persecute them. Taking this kind of stand will not be pleasant and may be quite unpleasant. Nevertheless, by heeding the exhortation in the beginning of the verse, they can depend on the consolation in the rest of the verse, because the righteous most assuredly have...
II. The Concern of the Lord
As with many of the promises in scripture, these two are general principles not absolute certainties. God's people do encounter difficulties along life's way, and He may not always protect them or deliver them—at least, not immediately or obviously. The exceptions, though, are just that, and they distinguish the faithful, who have God to help them, from the faithless, who have no one to help them.
You will not know, this side of heaven, how often these principles have affected events in your life, how many problems you avoided because God's hand redirected their path or your path, how many difficult or threatening situations He altered to allow your escape. Just because you do not know everything, though, does not mean you cannot know anything. You should, in fact, be able to recall some instances that were obvious to you and that prove His care for you. There are probably more you could realize if you were paying closer attention.... Take a moment to review the events of this week. Through what "dangers, toils, and snares" have you come because God protected you or rescued you? ...When you have something in mind, you will be ready to apply the final verse of this psalm.
In the midst of a hymn to God's kingship, this psalm includes a verse describing one of the Great Expectations of Man's Love. It seems to advocate the very opposite of what you think your responsibility should be, but it actually clarifies that responsibility by reminding you that there are moral boundaries and that loving God entails recognizing those boundaries. Moreover, what you would normally regard as contradictory terms (love and hate) are actually complementary, and He expects you to exercise them both. So how are you doing? Is your devotion to God a Love that Discriminates?
The cashier watched her customer dig through her pocketbook for her wallet. As she emptied the cavernous bag one item at a time, an odd piece of electronics fell out. "You certainly have a lot of stuff in there," the cashier remarked. "That thing looks like the remote control for a television. Do you always carry it around?" "No," the customer replied, as she continued her search. "My husband was supposed to come shopping with me, but he backed out at the last minute to stay home and watch a game.. .so I figured taking this was the most evil thing I could do to him."However annoying her husband may have considered this theft, it does not really stoop to the level of "evil." There are cases, though, that do, and we would do well to follow the admonition of a passage In the Writings about Love that Discriminates.
Although the psalms were often written for specific occasions, they commonly speak in general terms that can apply to many situations. Ps 97 is a hymn to God's kingship (Sabourin 1974:202). It begins with a vivid description of the Lord's appearance (theophany), as He bends all creation to His sovereign will.
Ps 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. 4 His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.The author explains how this divine manifestation affects those who witness it, even those who never acknowledged the Lord.
Ps 97:7 All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols — worship him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, O LORD. 9 For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.The psalmist does not say when the Lord will appear but encourages the faithful to remain committed to Him while they wait.
Ps 97:10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.This final portion of the psalm includes one of the Great Expectations of Man's Love. Unlike other passages in this sermon series, it is not an entirely positive admonition. There are negative elements that God's people must identify in order to implement Love that Discriminates.
If you are not there already, please turn to Ps 97 and consider with me v. 10, whose initial admonition describes...1
I. The Character of the Righteous
Ps 97:10a Let those who love the LORD hate evil....Two qualities make the righteous stand out. The first, which is not surprising...
A. They love God.People love different things. Were I to poll the congregation, there are many items you might add to such a list. You love...
- Your spouse
- Your kids
- Your dog
- Your car
- Your job
- Your house
- Your mother's cooking
Deut 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. [Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33a; Luke 10:27a]In this psalm, the author addresses "those who love the LORD." Not surprisingly, they love God. The psalmist then identifies another quality of the righteous that may be surprising...
B. They hate evil.This is an odd juxtaposition—love with hate. Elsewhere in scripture, loving God has a decidedly positive affect. In Deut 6, the passage I just read, Moses goes on to state that loving God should motivate people to obey God,3 to heed His other commands. The author of 1 Kings offers Solomon as an example of this natural order, saying...
1 Kings 3:3a Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes.... [emphasis added]In the New Testament, the apostle John specifically states that loving God should motivate people to love others, not to hate.4
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.Does God actually expect His people to hate?5 ...Christians are supposed to be nice, right?
"Hate" is a strong word and, although a fairly common term in scripture, it does not often appear in the form of a command. In fact, there is only one other occurrence, when God speaks through the prophet Amos and says simply...6
Amos 5:15a Hate evil, love good....As in the psalm, the prophet is not suggesting that you can reduce every issue to one of these two extremes, but when it is clear that something is repugnant to God, your response should be decisive.
There are some in our society who think that calling anything evil is wrong, because what is evil to one person is not necessarily evil to another person. And who are you to judge another?7 (For example, those who hold this opinion objected to Pres. Bush's characterization of Islamic terrorists as "evildoers," a biblical term [18x].8 After all, a terrorist to one person is a freedom fighter to another.) The premise of such an argument is that there are no such absolute values as good and evil; there are only varying shades of gray that reflect different opinions about morality, all of which are equally valid. That might be true, if such judgments were up to us, but there is One far greater than we are who has established a difference—a difference between right and wrong as well as between good and evil—and He expects us to recognize that difference. This is a characteristic of the righteous: They hate evil.
So, what is the "evil" God's people should hate? I examined all the passages in scripture where this word occurs and discovered that what God hates are the same things God's people should hate.9
- Iniquity (Isa 61:8; Ps 119:128)
- This is the violation of God's law.... A person who commits this is a sinner.
- Hypocrisy (Amos 5:21; Ps 119:113)
- This is the claim to be a child of God by someone who lives as if he were not; it is a person's walk that does not match his talk.... Such an individual is a phony, a counterfeit Christian.
- Apostasy (Jer 44:4; Ps 31:6)
- This is the rejection of God by someone who once followed Him.... Such an individual is a turncoat, a traitor.
- Heresy (Rev 2:6)
Do you love the Lord? One proof of that is your attitude toward evil. Are you tolerant of it in others, especially in your friends? Are you silent when you should speak out, because you are afraid of how they might respond? I am not suggesting that you make an issue out of everything you see wrong. Choose your battles carefully...but choose. If at every encounter with evil you retreat into passivity (timidity), doing nothing because you fear the repercussions, you will never advance onto victory.10 As the English philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- This is the perversion or distortion of the truth.... A person who promotes this is a deceiver.
When a society shifts from moral absolutism to moral relativism, it erases the distinction between right and wrong. For example, once our primary concern was the collapse of marriage, as the divorce rate rose. Now that concern has shifted to the composition of marriage, as people debate the acceptability of same-sex unions. When a society decides to erase the distinction between right and wrong, the next step is to reverse that distinction where, as the prophet Isaiah warns, people "call evil good and good evil" (Isa 5:20a).11 We are heading in that direction.
There is an element of risk for the righteous to "love the LORD [and] hate evil." They may not be very popular. Some people will avoid them or ridicule them or persecute them. Taking this kind of stand will not be pleasant and may be quite unpleasant. Nevertheless, by heeding the exhortation in the beginning of the verse, they can depend on the consolation in the rest of the verse, because the righteous most assuredly have...
II. The Concern of the Lord
Ps 97:10 ...for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.God has not wound up the world and then let it run on its own while He tends to other matters. He continues to involve Himself, especially in the affairs of His people. Those who faithfully serve Him can count on His support in two ways.12 First...
A. He protects them (from trouble).Before they even encounter a problem, God intervenes to prevent it from hindering them.13 This is a common promise in scripture, especially in the Psalter,14 and Ps 121 illustrates this principle for the pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem for one of the festivals. Although the journey may take several days, God remains vigilant during that entire period. Listen to how often the word occurs.
Ps 121:3b [H]e who [protects] you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who [protects] Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5a The LORD [protects] you... .7 The LORD will [protect] you from all harm—he will [protect] your life; 8 the LORD will [protect] your coming and going both now and forevermore.What is true for the pilgrim is true for others. God cares for those who faithfully serve Him, and He protects them from trouble. Second...
B. He rescues them (from trouble).Should they find themselves in the midst of a problem, God intervenes to remove them.15 This, too, is a common promise in the Psalter,16 and Ps 18 illustrates this principle from David's life. Although chosen for the throne of Israel, there were persistent threats on his life, but God enabled him to escape each one.
Ps 18:0b ...the LORD [rescued] him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.... 17a He rescued me from my powerful enemy.... 48c ...from violent men you rescued me.What was true for David is true for others. God cares for those who faithfully serve Him, and He rescues them from trouble.
As with many of the promises in scripture, these two are general principles not absolute certainties. God's people do encounter difficulties along life's way, and He may not always protect them or deliver them—at least, not immediately or obviously. The exceptions, though, are just that, and they distinguish the faithful, who have God to help them, from the faithless, who have no one to help them.
You will not know, this side of heaven, how often these principles have affected events in your life, how many problems you avoided because God's hand redirected their path or your path, how many difficult or threatening situations He altered to allow your escape. Just because you do not know everything, though, does not mean you cannot know anything. You should, in fact, be able to recall some instances that were obvious to you and that prove His care for you. There are probably more you could realize if you were paying closer attention.... Take a moment to review the events of this week. Through what "dangers, toils, and snares" have you come because God protected you or rescued you? ...When you have something in mind, you will be ready to apply the final verse of this psalm.
Ps 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.Do not go through life as if all things are random. Some may be, but others are not. Pay attention to what God may be doing; then pay homage to Him for His loving concern.
In the midst of a hymn to God's kingship, this psalm includes a verse describing one of the Great Expectations of Man's Love. It seems to advocate the very opposite of what you think your responsibility should be, but it actually clarifies that responsibility by reminding you that there are moral boundaries and that loving God entails recognizing those boundaries. Moreover, what you would normally regard as contradictory terms (love and hate) are actually complementary, and He expects you to exercise them both. So how are you doing? Is your devotion to God a Love that Discriminates?
For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs