In my younger and more rash years, I would often use the word ‘hate’ to describe things: “hate it when it is cold”, “hate flying”, and “hate this song.” What a negative energy it is to use such a strong word, a word that is the opposite of love! It took me some time to realise how often I was using the word ‘hate’, and it took more time for me to learn to stop using the word hate. This Psalm and the teachings of Christ were two primary reasons I started working towards removing the word from my lexicon.
It may seem that cursing the wicked and our enemies is noble, but I am struck by the vocabulary in these verses. Can you imagine Jesus speaking like this? Of course not! Look up how many people Christ says you can hate; better yet, I will save you the time and tell you: none. Nobody. Zero. You should not hate your enemies, according to Christ. You should love them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-36).
This Psalm of the emotional King David shows how far God’s word had evolved by the time of Christ. Jesus’ life led to a transformation, but David longed for what Jesus would later preach. He claims to hate his enemies and those who hate God. However, in the last verse, he asks God to search him for any wickedness and leads him in the way everlasting. This verse foreshadows what is to come, generations after, but from King David’s bloodline. Jesus Christ will teach devout men like Christ, like you, and like me to do away with the word hate, replacing it with his favourite word: love.
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