A Perfect Hatred?

Angela and I just had a hearty discussion on Ps. 139:21-22: “Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” Angela said it’s hard to understand how hating can ever be a good thing if we are supposed to be filled with love for others. “Maybe it has something to do with hating darkness and those who are anti-Christ are darkness,” I suggested. But how then, we wondered, can we show love to sinners in need of Christ if we must “hate” them for being darkness? And why would anyone want to become a Christian if they are “hated” by Christians? (Obviously . . . there’s something missing in our analysis.) The key, we surmised, must lie somewhere in the fact that the hatred described in Ps. 139, in order to be acceptable and “good,” must necessarily be a “perfect hatred.” But what exactly is perfect hatred? And how can we, as fallen human beings, ever hope to realize “perfect hatred” (let alone try to define it!)?

How can godly love and perfect hatred co-exist?

“Someone told me once that hatred is not the opposite of love but something very close to love because it is a strong emotion just like love,” said Angela. “And you typically hate someone only because you care about them. Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel any emotion toward them at all.” So then we decided that the opposite of love must be apathy – a large void – or having absolutely no feelings toward someone.

In the end, we had more questions than answers. But that’s the charm and mystery of thinking deeply about something – the deeper you dig, the more you realize how completely vast and cavernous this world is. And, besides all that, it’s so much fun to philosophize. In fact, if I could find someone to pay me for it, I think I’d like to do it full-time. (Dream on, Amy.)