I Need to Hate!

If only I could truly learn to hate; how much different my life would be.

Sure, I know this may be quite a shock to read, but I really want to take a look at this together, really close and to the heart of the matter.

HATE as described in Webster’s Dictionary: to dislike intensely; detest.

God tells us to hate sin—to hate the evil in us and the evil in the world.

Listed below are some of the scriptural references to God’s hatred of evil:

Psalm 5:4, 5
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the slightest sin. Therefore, the proud will not be allowed to stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. (NLT)

Psalm 11:5-7
The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates everyone who loves violence. He rains down blazing coals on the wicked, punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds. For the LORD is righteousness, and he loves justice. Those who do what is right will see his face. (NLT)

Psalm 45:6, 7
Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in justice. You love what is right and hate what is wrong. (NLT)

Psalm 97:10
You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. (NLT)

Psalm 139:21, 22
O LORD, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who resist you? Yes, I hate them with complete hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. (NLT)

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the LORD hates-no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers. (NLT)

Proverbs 8:13
All who fear the LORD will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech. (NLT)

Proverbs 11:1
The LORD hates cheating, but he delights in honesty. (NLT)

Proverbs 11:20
The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity. (NLT)

Proverbs 12:22
The LORD hates those who don’t keep their word, but he delights in those who do. (NLT)

Proverbs 13:5
Those who are godly hate lies; the wicked come to shame and disgrace. NLT)

Hosea 9:15
The LORD says, “All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels. (NLT)

Amos 5:15
Hate evil and love what is good; remodel your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on his people who remain. (NLT)

Amos 5:21
I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. (NLT)

Zechariah 8:17
Do not make evil plots to harm each other. And stop this habit of swearing to things that are false. I hate all these things, says the LORD. (NLT)

Malachi 2:16
“For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstained coat,” says the LORD Almighty. “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.” (NLT)

Romans 12:9
Don’t pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. (NLT)

Revelation 2:6
But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do. (NLT)

While the above references are quite numerous, this is far from a complete scriptural survey of God’s hatred of sin, but it is a good start for this discussion….Ask yourself:

What is my attitude towards evil; towards sin—sin found in the world and the sins found in my own life?

Does sin even bother me?

Do I not sin because I only fear the consequences of my actions if I am caught?

Do I not sin because I know the consequences of God are too severe?

Do I not sin because I don’t want others to sin against me?

Do I hide my private sins away?

What are I like when no one sees me?

Do I have a sincere desire to please the Lord, and that is what motivates me not to sin?

Or do I covet and enjoy the sins in my life: Do I love those sins?

Gosh, this is something I am ashamed to confess, there are sins in my life that I allow myself to go beyond just temptation and right into loving them.

James 1:13-15 says,
And remember, no who wants to do wrong should ever say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of our own desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. (NLT)

A very interesting translation of this same passage comes from, The Message:
Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

So, I have had to revisit my understanding of sin, of evil, and of desiring to really know the fear of the Lord. It has become an important prayer of mine…not to focus only on the actual besetting sins and character flaws in me, but rather going after the source of it all: To confess that I am constantly tempted/lured to commit these sins because I love these sins (that I don’t hate them). That I desire to truly learn the fear of the Lord and for God to give me a hatred for what I now love—to hate the sins I currently love.

Remember to fear the Lord is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13). May we all truly learn to hate……to hate as God does; hate sin and the evil of and in this world.