Perfect Love and Perfect Hate - Psalms 137-139 and I Corinthians 13
It seems very awkward to me to talk about "perfect hate", but it is very natural to talk about "perfect love." The psalmists speak often about hating their enemies and wanting God to destroy them. In Psalm 139 David even makes the reference to "perfect hate." Does this give us permission to hate people? Why do they talk that way? I believe there is an explanation that we all need to consider.
God is love, and He is perfect. Therefore, His love is perfect. He loves each of us with His love, even before we are born as it says in Psalm 139. He knows us completely, because He loves us. He formed us in our mother's womb, because He cares about us. His love is a perfect, unselfish love that is described so wonderfully in I Corinthians 13. His love is not rude, and it is not provoked. His love never ends, and it never fails. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, as He did. He tells us to love our fellow believers, as He did. I believe our lives should be characterized by the love of God toward all people all the time. That does not mean there is not a time for war or protecting ourselves, but it is not done in vengeance or hatred but to protect people and the truth.
So, why does the psalmist refer to "perfect hate?" I believe I Corinthians 13 gives us a major clue to this mystery. It speaks of some things passing away, but the thing that is perfect coming. It also speaks of being a child and then growing up to become a man and putting away childish things. When Jesus came into the world, He was very perfect. He showed the Jewish people and everyone how they had been childish in their thinking in some ways. He showed them the best way, which is the way of love. He gave the complete revelation of God's truth that they did not understand fully in the Old Testament times. He came to show the way of love. He came to show us to hate sin, but to love the sinner. He came to clarify, and this is one of the main things Jesus brought to light. Now, we can see that perfect hate is to hate sin and to hate what God hates. David and those in the Old Testament had an imperfect understanding of this truth. When they asked God to destroy their enemies, they were speaking out of the frustration of their souls. We all do that. God had them to record it for us to show us that they were human like us. They have the same frustrations we have. It is hard for all of us to love our enemies and not to take vengeance, but we can do it, if we grow up spiritually, and allow the love of Christ to fill us and to overflow onto those around us, even our enemies. I pray that we will all seek to love perfectly and to hate perfectly. The only way to do that is to have the heart of God, which is shown so well in I Corinthians 13.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 140-142 and I Corinthians 14:1-20.
God is love, and He is perfect. Therefore, His love is perfect. He loves each of us with His love, even before we are born as it says in Psalm 139. He knows us completely, because He loves us. He formed us in our mother's womb, because He cares about us. His love is a perfect, unselfish love that is described so wonderfully in I Corinthians 13. His love is not rude, and it is not provoked. His love never ends, and it never fails. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, as He did. He tells us to love our fellow believers, as He did. I believe our lives should be characterized by the love of God toward all people all the time. That does not mean there is not a time for war or protecting ourselves, but it is not done in vengeance or hatred but to protect people and the truth.
So, why does the psalmist refer to "perfect hate?" I believe I Corinthians 13 gives us a major clue to this mystery. It speaks of some things passing away, but the thing that is perfect coming. It also speaks of being a child and then growing up to become a man and putting away childish things. When Jesus came into the world, He was very perfect. He showed the Jewish people and everyone how they had been childish in their thinking in some ways. He showed them the best way, which is the way of love. He gave the complete revelation of God's truth that they did not understand fully in the Old Testament times. He came to show the way of love. He came to show us to hate sin, but to love the sinner. He came to clarify, and this is one of the main things Jesus brought to light. Now, we can see that perfect hate is to hate sin and to hate what God hates. David and those in the Old Testament had an imperfect understanding of this truth. When they asked God to destroy their enemies, they were speaking out of the frustration of their souls. We all do that. God had them to record it for us to show us that they were human like us. They have the same frustrations we have. It is hard for all of us to love our enemies and not to take vengeance, but we can do it, if we grow up spiritually, and allow the love of Christ to fill us and to overflow onto those around us, even our enemies. I pray that we will all seek to love perfectly and to hate perfectly. The only way to do that is to have the heart of God, which is shown so well in I Corinthians 13.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 140-142 and I Corinthians 14:1-20.