Psalm 97:10-11 - September 30, 2009

Ps 97:10-11 "Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart." NIV

Can a heart love both good and evil? Can we flirt with sin and still be close to the Lord? Can we pursue the darkness and still enjoy the light? James speaks directly to this contradiction by saying in James 3:11-12 “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” NIV We are warned in Psalm 97:10-11 that if we love the Lord we should also hate evil. This passage is a reminder of the dangers of double-mindedness. To love the Lord is to value His ways. To love the Lord is to serve Him with a whole heart, not with mixture. Jesus described a right expression of love very simply in John 14:15-16 by saying to His disciples "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” NIV
A chronic condition exists within much of the body of Christ. It is one that has been a struggle for the people of God since before Isaiah’s time. Jesus speaks to this condition as He confronts the Pharisees in Matt 15:7-8 and says “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” NIV Many people wear the name “Christian” but do not reflect the image of Christ that is intended to go with the name. Psalm 97:10-11 is one of those directs calls from the Lord to “live it.” It is God saying “If you love me, hate what I hate and love what I love, say what I say and do what I do!”
The scriptures consistently raise a high standard of integrity in regard to our walks with God. Throughout the entire message of the Bible a consistent call to respond to God from a humble and upright heart can be seen. In His rebukes of wayward kings, His praise of faith-filled obedience, His judgment upon the wicked and His encouragements of the weak but willing God can be clearly seen as delighting in the one that chooses to direct their heart towards obedient submission to His will.
One of the beauties of Psalm 97:10-11 is that along with this call to single-mindedness is a glimpse into some of the benefits of maintaining this heart of integrity before the Lord. If we choose to hate evil with that choice comes the promise of the Lord’s protection. He has promised to guard the life of the man who will stand uprightly in God’s name in the midst of a dark and evil generation. David exemplified this truth again and again as he consistently responded to the trials of an unjust king over Him and the struggles of a life of service with integrity and as a result consistently experienced God intervening to deliver Him from the hand of His enemies. Yes He faced many challenges and experienced the tension of difficult times, but the Lord was always faithful to guard his life and lead him through to a place of safety. Verse 11 encourages our confidence in the reward of an upright life by saying “Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.” If we will choose an upright life God promises to shed His light upon us giving us revelation and guidance. And one of the greatest rewards of an upright life and the clarity that comes with it is that with a clean conscience comes a heart full of joy! To stand confidently before God because we have maintained a right heart results in His joy flowing through us. Make a decision today to love what God loves and reap the benefit of a joyful security in
God’s presence.