If you’re going to hate, hate like God.
In preparation for 2025’s Exploring the Bible seminar on Reading, Understanding, and Responding to the BibleI was reading in the psalms and struck—as I have been in the past, but haven’t given as much time to it—by the way the psalmists talk about God hating not just things (like sin), but people. In particular, I was struck by this verse: “You hate all who do wrong.” (Ps 5:5, NIV)
I don’t believe in coincidences; nor do I believe in “fate.” I believe in the sovereignty and providence of God over all things and all people. The reason for that is simply because of what I read in the Bible.
I’m required to make a rational decision: either see the world and my life as governed by coincidences and “fate” or (and this is a big OR) see the world and my life as governed by God.
We use other people as examples and benchmarks for our lives all the time.
We consistently take a person, hold them up in front for everyone to see, and then say, “Here is how you ought to live.” And, to be honest, it’s not a bad idea if the person has their stuff together. It’s even (in at least some sense) biblical. Paul did that with Jesus and then with himself (1 Cor. 11:1).
What’s this have to do with Psalm 1?