Psalm 31:6–8 (ESV) —
6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
NOTE: In the English language, "hate" is a very strong word. In the
psalms, which are emotional by their nature of poetry, we must be careful not to read too much into it (or I suppose too much out of it). The psalms express David's true feelings. He did dislike and had great emotional distaste for those who served idols. It was a very strong feeling, but it does not suggest he meant to do physical harm to the person. His love for God only made the hate more intense because the individual was giving praise to an inanimate object instead of rightfully to the God of the universe. His emotion could have also been extreme sadness for the foolishness of the person who worshipped idols. We still do this today. Our gods are a little different and yet also the same. We worship money, possessions, and even our own self-determined picture of God (versus the true God revealed in the bible).
PONDER:
- Do I care about God's honor? He doesn't need any help, but is his honor that important to me?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for these days. I think I understand the heart-felt pain that David experienced as he looked upon others who lived for things and not for you. I live in a dying world, getting worse by the day, but totally oblivious to its needs. It is rage run rampant. There is no peace only anger in the hearts of men. Help me to stand out as different from the world.
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