Our society has conditioned us against the word hate. If we hear that word used, it is often used as something nearly criminal. WE hear people speak of hate-crimes or hate-speech. We hear people speak of others being blinded by or motivated by hate.
In truth, we do not want to be marked as a hateful people. This is especially true when you think of hatefulness as a propensity to unjust cruelty. But, the word hate is not a bad word. Neither is it wrong to hate certain things.
Psalm 45:7
you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
In a psalm of praise to a righteous king, notice that hatred in this king is one of his praiseworthy attributes. The king loves righteousness and hates wickedness. And God wants us to know that this is good.
For the most part, among professing Christians, suggesting that it is good to love righteousness is not controversial. There are certainly now some who have grown to despise things that God tells us are righteous. But, for the most part, loving the good is pretty well accepted.
But the alternative, hating wickedness, that is not so broadly embraced. We are called by some to be understanding of wickedness. Some would tell us that, even when wickedness is wicked, we should not have hatred for it. But this denies something of the holiness of God.
Friends, loving righteousness and hating wickedness is what God suggests in this psalm marks a righteous ruler. We want to be led by people who do not suggest, when evil is discussed, that we just need to let it pass. God hates evil, always, in every form. God is righteous, always, in everything.
May we become more godly people. That will mean that we love righteousness. That will mean that we hate wickedness. And that will mean that we do both without shame, guided by Scripture, for the glory of the Almighty.
Pastor Travis Peterson 