Message of the Day: Love What God Loves, and Hate What He Hates!
“You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10, NKJV)
Psalm 97 follows on from the thought on which the previous psalm closed, namely, that God is king over the earth. It is a joyful celebration of that reign. It shows that holiness, righteousness and justice are the basis of God’s kingdom. His judgment will be as universal as a flash of lightning and as powerful as an all-consuming fire (97:1-15). Every thing will bow before his rule (97:6-7)
Verses 8-12 is a declaration of Zion’s joy that the Lord reigns (v.v. 8-9), and a reminder that only those who hate evil have real cause to rejoice in God’s righteous rule (v.v. 10-12).
“Those who love the Lord hate evil” because it is inconsistent with his love to them, as well as their love to him. Let gratitude for the blessings of providence and grace prompt believers to holy living.
Let us show your love for the Lord by hating all that is evil; that is, all that he hates, or that is evil in his sight. There can be no true love for God where evil is not hated in all forms. We cannot be like God unless we love what he loves, and hate what he hates.
Sources:
MySword for Android. Riversoft Ministry, 2011-2019.
The NKJV Bible
Zondervan NASB Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1999.
Blessings!
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