Love & Hate: part 1

March 18, 2017

Worship: I Walked a Mile by Barry Mcguire

Walked a mile with pleasure
She chattered all the way
Left me none the wiser
With all she had to say
Walked a mile with sorrow
Never a word said she
But oh the things I learned from her
When sorrow walked with me

The frost is in the valley
And the mountain tops turn gray
The promised buds all wither
And the blossoms fade away
Our loving Father whispers
All this comes from my hand
Blessed are you when you trust
What you just can't understand

Walked a mile with pleasure
She chattered all the way
Left me none the wiser
With all she had to say
And I walked a mile with sorrow
Never a word said she
But oh the things I learned from her
When sorrow walked with me

And after a lifetime of working
Your wealth should fade away
Leavin' your hands all empty
And your hair starts turnin' gray
Remember then our Father
Owns both the sea and land
And blessed are you when you trust
What you just can't understand

Oh I walked a mile with pleasure
She chattered all the way
Left me none the wiser
With all she had to say
And I walked a mile with sorrow
Never a word said she
But oh the things I learned from her
When sorrow walked with me

Written by:

Barry McGuire

Video: https://youtu.be/IqfIVIpzHX4

Witness:

On March 17^th, I discussed verse 4 and specifically focused on a group of people described as “dissemblers” or “hypocrites.”  I said:

Yet, like David prayed in verses 1-3, we need to pray that God would examine our lives to see if we practice the very same things that we are trying to avoid.

When I finished my journaling, I got ready and left for work. My tail lights and brake lights were not working. I knew they were out. A friend of mine was supposed to come over and help me fix them. However, both he and I forgot about it, and I remembered only when I turned my lights on to drive to work. So, I quickly texted him about it, and we settled on Saturday after he finished serving at church (we have services on Saturday and Sunday). Nevertheless, I had to drive to work worried I might get pulled over – I don’t know why I suddenly was concerned about it because I had known about it for a while and cars would pull up beside me and the passenger would let me know too.

I was almost to work when I saw him parked on a side road by some railroad tracks on the road near where I turn to get to my place of work. A police officer is sitting there in his vehicle; I am convinced, waiting for me. A test and a lesson set there by the Lord Himself. As I came to the stop sign, I quickly made the turn and pressed down on the peddle so I could quickly get to the entrance of my place of employment. As I made the turn into the parking lot, I could see the lights flashing as he hurried and made the turn, rushed down and parked right behind me. When I got out of my car, I could see people staring at me from inside. The police officer exited his vehicle, started walking towards me, and saw that I worked there. We have a good working relationship with the police including free coffee for them. So, he said, “Oh never mind” and started to get back into his vehicle. But then he decided to explain that neither my tail lights or brake lights were working. He asked if I was aware of this. I didn’t lie and say no, but I feigned ignorance. For a second I was going to say yes I was aware but changed my mind. After all, he was going to let me off, and I needed to get to work. When he left, I immediately felt guilty and remembered the words I had just written about:

We must allow God’s word to cut away that which is false in us. While we may be blind to our own faults (Ps. 19:12), nothing is hidden from God. 

I immediately felt the accuser and my conscience saying, “HYPOCRITE!” I wrestled with this for a while and asked God to forgive me and thanked Him for teaching me a lesson along the way. The whole night was a series of doubts, bad thoughts, and temptations. The devil and his minions were very busy that night attacking and accusing me. But the Lord proved faithful as He always does. He reminded me of two scriptures I had put to memory as part of a commitment I had made in Band of Brothers this year. They were Psalm 27:5 and Isaiah 26:3.

For he will hide me in his shelter in the time of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 ESV

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV 

The Lord kept these verses before me, and I claimed their promises. Peace settled over me, and the accuser was silenced. I will not be fooled, though, into thinking he is finished with me. No, the devil and his minions will never stop seeking to trip me up while I live here on earth. If he didn’t stop trying to trip up my Lord up while he was here on earth why should he stop with me? There is a verse often overlooked in scripture. Many might think that our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness was a one-time experience. After all, don’t we call it “the temptation of Christ”? But Luke concludes this experience of temptation by Jesus with these words:

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:13 NIV

Or as the Message puts it:

That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity. Luke 4:13(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

I must remember that every temptation of the devil is also the testing of the Lord. I can yield to the temptation or take the way of escape the Lord provides.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.1 Cor 10:13  NIV

… the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.  This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
2 Peter 2:9-10 NIV

Ps 26:4-8 4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; 5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord, 7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds. NIV (’84)

Ps 26:4-8 4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. 5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, 7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Ps 26:4-8 4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. 6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord: 7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. KJV

Ps 26:4-7 4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, 7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. ESV

In verse 4 he writes about certain kinds of people. In verse 5 he writes more generally of a gathering of people whose lives can be only be described as evildoers or wicked. He uses a stronger term to describe his feelings towards these people. One could make a case for David not hating the evildoers themselves but the “congregation” or “assembly” in order to soften the intensity of feelings expressed here. After all, we are to love our enemies, aren’t we? But Psalm 139:21 - 22 says:

Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred* for them;I count them my enemies.
NIV* or perfect hatred (see KJV, Amplified, RSV, NRSV)

Many commentators try to make this about the actions and not the actor themselves. The popular way of Saying it today is, “we must hate the sin but love the sinner.” Yet what do we do with these verses?

Ps 5:5-6The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;you hate all who do wrong.
You destroy those who tell lies;bloodthirsty and deceitful menthe Lord abhors.
NIV

Hos 9:15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,I hated them there.Because of their sinful deeds,I will drive them out of my house.I will no longer love them;all their leaders are rebellious.
NIV Ps 11:5The Lord examines the righteous,but the wicked and those who love violencehis soul hates. NIV

It is difficult to understand how these verses are to be dealt with in light of the teaching of our Lord (see Mt. 5:44; Lk 6:27-34). It begs the question, “in light of these verses is it correct to say that we are to hate the sin, but love the sinner?”

One answer given is that this is Old Testament and we have the light of the New Testament to guide us. This seems to be the inference I get when I read the Pulpit Commentary on Psalm 139:22:

Verse 22. - I hate them with perfect hatred; i.e. with pure, absolute, intense hatred - a hatred commensurate with the love that he felt towards all God's saints. I count them mine enemies; i.e. I regard them as my private foes. I have the same feeling towards them as I have towards those who are at open enmity with me, and seek my destruction. The command had not yet been given, "Love your enemies" (Matt 5:44).
(from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

I am not comfortable with that answer. This would not be just a matter of progressive revelation but in essence a complete renunciation of what David is expressing. Future revelation may be clarifying but not contradictory.

Perhaps if we understood who these evil and wicked people were, we might feel justified in hating this special group of people. If these people were vile, worthless, hypocritical, violent, idol worshipers, apostates then it might be okay not to love this particular group of individuals. But the Lord does not make that distinction.

The answer seems to be in the meaning of the word hatred and also in the nature of God’s action towards His enemies.

The word “hate” cannot be distilled down into one meaning in scripture, nor do we use the term in the same way in our daily conversations. Like our word “love,” hate is capable of various shades of meaning and intensity. When we say that we “hate” something or someone we may be expressing a general dislike, disappointment, or outright abhorrence of that something or someone.

Because this next portion may take up some space, I am inclined to finish this discussion in my next journal entry. I have been guilty of (and may be guilty in the future) of drawing things out under one journal entry and risk the danger of losing the reader including myself when I go back and review what I have written.