Righteous Hatred

"16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.21Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139

In this politically correct world we live in hatred has been redefined to mean that any idea contrary to political correctness is hate. The infamous Southern Poverty Law Center claims there are over 900 hate groups in America. Many years ago they were the authority on identifying and monitoring the activities of such groups as the KKK, Neo-Nazis, Skinheads, Nation of Islam and the likes. These groups should be monitored. But this legitimate platform from which the SPLC began morphed into a monstrous beast of unfounded hate labeling of God fearing, bible believing Christians. If they remain true to their pattern of slander it’s inevitable that the bible will eventually appear on the SPLC list of hate. In reality, the SPLC has become the very thing they claim to oppose, hatemongers.

Hating the things of God will invite the wrath of God. And those who are born from above must not stand by and allow this wicked institution to attack the innocent and the righteous. Righteous hatred will always favor the innocent and bring honor to God. I hate Mark Potok and Morris Dees but this does not mean that I wish evil upon them. I pray that these men repent of their wickedness and surrender their hearts to God. I wish no violence upon them because the only true violence that will mean anything is that violence God Himself will bring on their unrepentant souls. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.

A perfect hatred is pure and holy. God hates evil and so should we. David, the warrior king, cries out to God to search his heart and see if there be any wicked way in him. We must always take a position of humility lest we be guilty of wickedness that we accuse others of. The bible does not tell us its wrong to judge others. People take Christs words out of context and make a universal application that is not in the text.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?" Matthew 7

The context of Christs statement is in reference to judging your brother in the Lord and does not apply to our judgements of the wicked. What does universally apply is the measure whereby we judge someone else we ourselves will be measured. The fact is that our own personal judgement is vital to our survival. If you choose to associate with people of questionable behavior then be prepared to face the same fate as them.

Which brings us to another word that is misused or misunderstood…wicked.

In American culture the word wicked is often reserved for those involved in the occult or those who have done incredibly horrible bloody crimes against people such as; Hitler, Stalin or Abraham Lincoln. These men indeed were wicked because they butchered innocent citizens of their own countries. Wickedness is not limited to such acts of depravity but is far more encompassing. All sin, no matter how “harmless” it may seem is wickedness. Even the act of hating can be wicked.

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” I John 3:15

He who hates his brother is a murderer. In verse 14 John is addressing the brethren. The context of this hate is in reference to a Christian hating their brother in the Lord. This principle does not apply to hating people in general. I do not suggest that we should go around hating people whom we do not like. Even Jesus said that we could be angry with our brother if we had a good reason to be angry.

“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” Matthew 5:22

Hating your brother or sister in the Lord is murder but hating those who hate God and righteousness is another thing and may be just.

How do we hate the wicked and love God at the same time? Jesus did this quite often especially when talking with the religious leaders of His day. He called the Pharisees and Scribes snakes, white washed tombs full of dead men’s bones and even told them on more than one occasion that their father was the devil. Can you see yourself going down to the local church and publicly telling the pastor and his church board they are a bunch of snakes and children of the devil? This is precisely what the church reformers have done down through the ages. They have stood up against the wickedness of Church tyranny and proclaimed those corrupt people in authority to be children of the devil. This is what makes Martin Luther a real hero of the faith. Men like this are hard to find today.

Paul said that one way to defeat our enemies is to heap hot coals of fire upon their heads through kindness. Being kind to those who hate you can be a tremendous weapon though not easy to use. I have seen this weapon work. And I have seen the wicked only take advantage of this to assault the innocent even more. There are times we must take a stand for righteousness in the defense of the innocent. This is the most overwhelming characteristic I see in the cause of the Confederacy that evokes my highest adulation. The South was fighting an army 3 times its size to defend their homes and families. In the face of overwhelming odds they fought valiantly for the innocent. God rewarded them beyond what they expected.

For nearly 3 years spiritual revivals were occurring throughout the Southern armies beginning in 1862. It was a spiritual awakening on par with the first great awakening in early 18th century New England. The effects of these Confederate revivals were far more reaching and longer lasting than any other spiritual awakening except going back to the day of Pentecost or since. For proof one only has to consider that the late great Bible belt of America is comprised of the Confederate States of America. The Southern Baptist Convention has been the largest denomination in the country for many years. Consider that the population of the Southeastern U.S. has always been less populated than the North and yet it has the larger concentration of Christians and churches in the U.S. Three days ago I was at a local state park that is off the beaten path. This park is situated along the Lumber river in N.C. I was talking with a park ranger when a van with a large Orthodox Jewish family pulled up asking about the park. I was talking with the young father of 8 children and learned they evacuated from Miami to escape hurricane Irma. He made the comment that he never saw so many churches, “There are more churches than homes”. I explained he is in the bible belt. I also explained that most of those churches he saw were not so much spiritually oriented any more rather they are social hubs of the community. The spiritual awakening in the South was the result of Christians defending the innocent.
It is the duty of the Christian to defend the innocent and those who are defenseless.

“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82

This Psalm is addressing the shortcomings of those in authority. The word “gods” in verse one is not a reference to pagan or false gods but to kings and princes. The U.S. government today is a socialist form of government. The constitution is referenced by politicians only when it meets the diabolical needs of our wicked leaders. Our welfare society is supposed to meet the needs of the poor which raises a conundrum for the believer. If I am already giving huge amounts of my well earned income to the federal government with the expectation that they will use the money for its intended purposes am I still liable to care for the needy? As the Lord is preparing mansions for His faithful children so the Devil is preparing a special place for “public servants” who have violated the trust of its citizens and turned those citizens into subjects of the state.
Providing for the needy should not include a false sense of social or economic equality. Since the beginning of time there have always been social and economic classes in society. A classless society can only be achieved under a tyrannical government. The USSR made the best attempt at creating a classless society and at best it was a bloody, brutal, wicked failure. Classless societies will always result in masses of innocent people suffering at the hands of tyranny. Even heaven itself will have a class structure and maybe I will write more about this later. As a Christian, I will always defend the innocent even if it means losing my friends, family or my life.