A Look at Psalm 119:104

Psalm 119:104 “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path.”
 

I hate every wrong path! Those are the words of a prophet. The prophet is the one known for his “hard” stand on things. For David to say he hates every wrong path means that he is not only talking to the world, but to the church also. He hated everything that did not bring glory to his God.
 

Romans 12:9 tells us to hate what is evil. Sometimes, I think that we tolerate evil rather than hate it. If that is the case, it is because we spend so little time in His presence. Isaiah hated evil. In his book we read, “Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord” Isaiah 26:10. Isaiah was crying out for the judgment of God to come down. However, he was not just looking for some type of vengeance; he wanted the majesty of the Lord to be known.
 

In a land of uprightness, or a land where all the people think they are okay, they will go on doing evil. To hate evil is to love God. It is not to hate the evildoers. To love God means that you will hate anything that does not truly reflect Him.
 

To hate evil is to preach against it. If we don’t speak out against it, the world and the Church will continue to sin. History shows us that when the church stops preaching against sin, when it only preaches “love,” it gets worse instead of better. If grace is shown on the day when judgment is needed, the wicked never learn righteousness, and they will not regard the majesty of the Lord. 

David wanted his God glorified. He did not long for judgment, he longed for others to regard the majesty of his God. Subsequently, he hated everything that kept people from seeing who his God really was.
 

Let me encourage you to take some time to meditate on this verse. As you do, ask yourself if you really hate evil or if you simply tolerate it.

Continued