530_Loving the Lord starts with hating evil

Psalm 97 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light 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.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

One day, the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon was walking through the countryside when he came across a farmer’s barn with a weather vane on top. On the vane were written the words: “God is love.” Spurgeon asked the farmer, “What do you mean by that? Do you think God’s love changes with the wind?” The farmer smiled and said, “No, not at all. What I mean is, whichever way the wind blows, God is still love.”

That farmer was right. God’s love is steadfast, unchanging, and eternal. And, as Spurgeon often reminded his listeners, the love of God is never to be confused with tolerance of sin. Rather, it is the root of a healthy hatred for evil. Like fire and water, the love of God cannot coexist with the love of evil. Those who love God also learn to hate what he hates – arrogant pride, oppression and injustice, wickedness and immorality.

Psalm 97 brings this truth into focus. The psalm opens with the theme of the whole of scripture: “The Lord reigns.” This is not a good idea or a distant hope; it is the central reality of the universe. It is good news. It is great joy for His people, for he is no local or tribal deity. Rather, he is God of the whole earth. And all earth rejoices in his rule, because righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

Unlike earthly tyrants, the sovereignty of God is not expressed in an arbitrary or corrupt way. His justice is impartial and comprehensive. When we look around at our world and sigh, “Life is not fair,” let us remember that the day of God’s justice is yet future. Yet, because he is on the throne, nothing escapes His notice. He deals with every act of unrighteousness and every injustice. And his judgment is never wrong.

How great is the awesome might and power of God! “Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.” Everything in creation points to His majesty—everything, that is, except humanity. For it is man, made in God’s own image, who rebels.

Yet, God has not hidden his glory. For the one with eyes to perceive, the fingerprints of God are everywhere. His love and care are betokened by the warmth of the sun, the whisper of the wind, the rhythm of the seasons, the marvel of our bodies and minds. And in his love, He is patient with us. Psalm 103 reminds us: “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

But those who turn to idols, whether physical or present only in the minds and imaginations of men, will find themselves ashamed of their hope. “All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!” Nothing – not wealth, power, pleasure, or even self—proves itself worthy before the staggering reality that God alone is worthy of all worship and of all unhesitating obedience.

For those who trust in the Lord, His judgments bring only joy. Those who fear Him now and follow him in faith can stand before him without fear in the day of judgment. For he declared, as John 5:24 records, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Indeed, by the word of the Lord, judgment is no more a terror, for in Christ there is no condemnation. Sin has been judged and put away on the cross. Now there is for us the daily dying to self, the cutting off of the flesh by the circumcision of the cross. Thus, the will of God will reign supreme in our resurrected hearts, in every decision, word, and act. Truly, those who love the Lord hate evil – the evil that is most prominently displayed in the selfish lusts and passions of the self, the slave and home of sin, the enemy of God.

If the love of God is not stirring up within us a hatred for the evil that is within our hearts, it is imaginary love. For if we do not hate the evil that desires our own good rather than what pleases Christ, the evil that covets and envies rather than rejoicing in the good of others, we do not know the love of God. For God gave his own Son for his enemies, rather than consume them in his wrath. How can we claim to love him if we do not love our fellow-men?

The apostle John declared, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” He went on to say, “God is love. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

When the crowd of judgmental men brought an adulterous woman – minus her equally adulterous partner – to the Lord, he simply told them, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” And when they all left, unable to face the truth of their own sin, he gently forgave her, saying, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.” Grace does not excuse sin; but neither does it condemn when it can forgive. And what the law could not do, grace does – it sends the sinner away with the command to sin no more.

And so, the psalm closes with joy. “Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” Those who walk in the light have light. Those who love the Lord have every reason to rejoice, because joy is planted like seed in their hearts.

This then is our call to action. If we love the Lord, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. To allow sin to remain unchallenged in our lives is to desecrate the temple of God.
As the Lord cleansed the temple, let us likewise zealously cleanse our own hearts. Let us follow holiness rather than self-righteousness.

In practical terms, let us choose every day to form the right attitudes of love. Let us speak the right words that are seasoned with grace. Let us cultivate the right habits of seeking the will of God. Let us keep company with all in the fear of God. Let us abhor gossip, lust, deceit, hypocrisy, and malice. Let us not grieve his Spirit with our loose talk and our sin-loving choices.

Perhaps that is the greatest test of love. Not just that we sing of God’s goodness on Sunday, but that on Monday and every day, we resolve to keep our hearts pure for him. We hate sin because it separates us from the God who loves us. And as we purify ourselves in the hope of his coming, our joy will be full, for we will walk in ever-increasing love and light.