A Verse
Proverbs 8:13
To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
A Comment
The title of this morning’s meditation may have thrown you off a little. Christians are called to be known by their love. So why is there a need to cultivate something like “hate?” Well, I hope you can already see from Proverbs 8:13 that this is no ordinary hate. This is a holy hate that results from a proper fear and reverence for the LORD.
To fear the LORD is to hate evil, which the writer describes as “pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech.” We can quickly define these evils as any action that contradicts God’s will. Pride and arrogance seek to elevate us above God. When we are proud or arrogant, it is because we believe that we know best. Similarly, evil behavior and perverse speech are the fruit of pride and arrogance.
The person with a proper fear and reverence for the LORD will love the things that the LORD loves and hate the things that the LORD hates. And this will be deeply personal. What I mean by this is that we will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, desire to root out pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech from our own lives. We will seek to remove the log from our own eye before ever attempting to deal with the speck in our brothers or sisters’ eye.
And how can we do such a thing? Through faith in Christ and repentance from sin, which is made possible by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit.
A Prayer
Would you pray with me?
A Blessing
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Cultivating Holy Hatred