WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MAY 5, Â 2021
TOPIC: RIGHTEOUS HATRED
BY T. O. BANSOÂ
“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Psalm 45:7 New King James Version).
Jesus forbids His flowers to hate their enemies. He said we should love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Although the Bible forbids us to hate, there is a type of hatred that is permitted. This is the hatred that every true child of God who loves God will inherently have.
They will love what God loves and hate what He hates. Just as there is no fellowship between righteousness and lawlessness, and no communion between light and darkness, so also there is no love between a child of God and whatever is evil.
Righteous hatred is positive hatred. It is hatred for evil; it is hatred for sin. It is hatred for whatever represents Satan. It is hatred for whatever stands in opposition to God or advances the cause of the devil. It is hatred borne out of love for God, not hatred because of personal disadvantage, injury, or hurt. It is not selfish hatred.
The Bible says in Psalm 45:7, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (New King James Version). Hebrews 1:9 quoted this scripture and the writer used it to establish the deity of Jesus Christ. Because He loved righteousness and hated wickedness, which human beings perpetrated, He came to die for us to impute to us His righteousness.
Jesus hated wickedness. His followers should too.  David’s hatred for the wicked in Psalm 139 was not because of anything personal between him and the wicked. Rather it was because of their attitude or action towards God. He said, “Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies” (Psalm 139:19-22 New King James Version).
David saw the enemies of God as his enemies. He hated with perfect hatred those who hated the LORD. Perfect hatred means complete hatred. He hated them not in the sense of going to harm them to show his love for God but he asked God to do justice and eliminate them. He hated the evil they were doing. While, as believers in Christ, we should not hate fellow human beings, we should hate the evil that people do against God, His Word, and His cause. It is proper to hate evil; it is right to hate sin. In fact, each believer should start from himself. Hate evil in your life. Don’t tolerate sin. Don’t pamper yourself with regard to sin.
Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way” (New King James Version). By the fear of the LORD, one departs from evil (Proverbs 16:6b). Similarly, Proverbs 13:5 says,  “A righteous man hates lying, but a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame” (New King James Version).
You can’t call yourself a child of God and not hate sin or evil wherever you see it. You can’t be a child of God and be laughing at sinners as they commit sins. If you tolerate their sins, one day, you may join them. Toleration of sin is one of the signs of backsliding. It is one thing to love sinners and another thing to tolerate their sins. A child of God should hate sin and evil anywhere.
Calling the people of Israel to repentance, the prophet Amos said, “Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:15 New King James Version). In the same vein, the prophet Isaiah, calling Judah to repentance, said, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor;  defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17 New King James Version).
God is good; Satan is evil. Anyone on the side of God should hate evil. Represent God anywhere you are by abhorring evil. Hate sin of every kind; don’t condone it; don’t support it. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9 New King James Version).
The writer of Psalm 119 states his hatred for every false way. “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (verse 104 New King James Version). In verse 163, the psalmist says, “I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law” (New King James Version).
Don’t endorse the evil people do. Show hatred for it though you love the people. David said, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away” (Psalm 101:3 New King James Version).  The New Living Translation presents it thus: “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them.” Do you hate all crooked dealings or you hate only some? Hate all, love none. The Good News Translation puts it his way: “And will never tolerate evil. I hate the actions of those who turn away from God; I will have nothing to do with them.”
Proverbs 15:27 says, “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live” (New King James Version).  Hate bribes. A bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous (Exodus 23:8). Deuteronomy 27:25 says cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person. Be incorruptible.
In the book of Revelation, the church of Ephesus is described as the loveless church, However, one of the things she was commended for was that she hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord also hated (Revelation 2:6). The Nicolaitans were a heretical sect that taught false freedom or licentiousness. Licentiousness is “undisciplined and unrestrained behavior, especially a flagrant disregard of sexual restraints” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
Hate false teaching. Don’t follow heretical teachers. Don’t open your door to them. “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11 New King James Version).
God wants you to have righteous hatred for wickedness, evil, and sin.  David said, “I have hated those who regard useless idols; but I trust in the LORD” (Psalm 31:6 New King James Version). Idolatry is part of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). Flee from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). Whether it involves graven images or modern idols of wealth, pleasure, fame, power, success, and others, don’t worship them. You cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
Hate sin and evil with perfect or complete hatred but love the sinner. This is righteous hatred. Hate what the Lord hates and love what the Lord loves.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. Father, let Your fear rule my heart. I shall hate what the Lord hates and love what the Lord loves. I shall hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them. I shall abhor what is evil and cling to what is good in Jesus’ name. O Lord, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end but establish the just (Psalm 7:9).
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
