Perfect Hatred
Is perfect hatred possible? The Psalmist, David, spends most of the 139th Psalm declaring the beautiful works of God on a personal level. If it’s been a while since you have read Psalm 139, I encourage you to do so.
Then, David gets to the 19th verse and does an about-face. David clearly states his opinion of the wicked. David does not temper his voice with political correctness, nor does he cover up his feelings on this subject. He is not afraid of who is going to hear or read his words.
There is no misunderstanding David, when he plainly states in verse 22, “I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count them as my enemies.”
A Personal Example
There are two times I can think of that I experienced what I refer to as ‘pure raw hatred.’ The hatred I felt was nowhere near perfect. Both instances scared me. Neither time lasted more than a few minutes, but I felt it. Both times were a result of injustices done towards me. I would doubt anyone, if they knew the stories, would disagree.
For those few minutes, I felt pure hatred. Not pure as in righteous. Instead, pure as in total. What I experienced was absolute complete hatred.
Choosing the Right Path
This is a dangerous position to be in, for it provides a tee in the road and presents us with a choice to make. We either turn to God or away from God. We either stubbornly dig in our heels and allow pride to take us down the path of destruction. Or, we humbly turn to the Almighty God who is able and willing to save us.
David, a man after God’s own heart, chose the latter option. Immediately after declaring his justifiably perfect hatred, David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” After experiencing any emotional tirade, good or bad, it’s always best to have God examine the heart.
Thankfully, I made the same choice as David. How about you?
You might also like these articles...
Manipulation or Motivation?
Manipulation or Motivation? Is there a difference? Is one better than the other? Are they the same? All good questions. Let’s find out. Although manipulation and motivation start with the letter ‘m’, and there may seem to be some similarities, they are pretty different. Manipulation of people is always wrong and a negative experience for…
Learn to Listen!
I may have just lost the majority of my massive reading audience using the word “learn.” Compound that with the word “Listen,” and maybe I should stop right here. I’m not sure which is more distasteful to folks: learning or listening—probably learning. However, listening is a more formidable challenge for many. Any healthy relationship is…
Practice What You Preach
Sounds good, right? Many don’t mind saying “practice what you preach,” but most don’t like hearing it. Many of you are licensed preachers. All of you are preachers. I hope each of you will read this short post in its entirety. Most preaching does not take place behind a pulpit. Preaching takes place in the…