November 12 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 139

Devotional

Man is not in short supply of hatred toward his own enemies, but has he learned to hate the enemies of God? This is hatred according to God’s will and it must be known. We read in the gospel of Luke that great multitudes followed Christ. Then it says that He turned and said to them, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

The Lord does not mean that there should be no love between relatives. The issue is that man must learn to hate everything contrary to God’s will, with the result that there may be separation even if it is from one’s own father or mother, or from one’s own child, or brother, or sister. In these bloodlines, natural love can still remain, yet according to the spirit there will be a distance if there is no unity of love toward God. Then those who are close by blood alone may become estranged, and those who are not related by blood become close. This distinction may be a reality in one’s own family if there is an eternal distinction under one roof.

The matter is pressed even further when the Lord says, “and his own life also.” David says in our text, “Do not I hate them...that hate thee?” When we compare this to the words of Christ, then it becomes clear that those who hate God are not always those who live among us but may actually be ourselves. When hate for God is within us, there is enmity in our lives. The hatred within causes sorrow in the life of a believer, and indeed it should. We must first have sorrow and repentance about the hatred within us before we can have sorrow with David about those around us who hate God. The first thing necessary to experience the words of this psalm is to learn to hate our sins. From an earthly perspective, this is impossible because we love ourselves so much. This love of self is the source of our greatest hatred toward God. On our own we can do nothing other than nurture in ourselves this hatred toward God. There are so many enticements to sin within our own heart.

Do we need to hate those who hate God? Yes, that is necessary. But this is impossible in our own power, for within our own heart there is hatred for God. This hatred is due to our corrupt understanding. This hatred is stimulated by our cunning heart, and it is covered by false piety. It is not difficult to hate sin in other people. We take the sin of another quite seriously, but we are tolerant when we consider our own sins.

Consequently nothing more is needed than for God to impart a drop of His love into the heart of man. For outside of God’s love we can only hate sin legalistically and this legalistic hatred is cold and harsh. It displays only a false image of true worship. Where love is active, it cannot be otherwise but hatred against sin arises of its own accord. Sorrow because of our own sin will arise, and yet also because of the sins of others. How will they not hate those who hate Him? It will be with a perfect hatred. This is so perfect that the entire renewed heart cannot bear sin anymore. Take note, however, that the inability to tolerate sin only occurs when love is active. Truly, the source of godly hatred lies only in godly love. Those who do not understand God’s love do not understand godly hatred and they cannot be His disciples. The foundations of the building of salvation have stones of love toward God and stones of hatred against sin laid side by side. If this is not the case, the building will collapse and never be built again. God teaches His people to love Him and to hate sin. It cannot be otherwise.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.