The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face. Psalm 11:4-7
Does God hate? Apparently, He does hate- He hates the one who loves violence. You could say that He hates the sin (and He does), and loves the sinner… but, you may be presuming more than is actually true.
Righteousness is (in my opinion) its own reward. Here, the Psalmist declares that the righteous and wicked are tested by the Lord. Jesus said ‘blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’. Violent people who are blinded by deceit, rage, fear, jealousy and the like, become the object of God’s wrath. God, in His omniscience knows the motives of those who commit violence and those ones, His soul hates. Wow! If you are a person of violence, repentance and forgiveness and love can be yours. But, whoa! God may be raining down snares upon your life. All deserved. Seek His grace immediately.
Where does my righteousness end and wickedness remain?
God, purge from me tendencies toward violence and harm that I would seek to commit against others. Purify my soul and make me an object of Your affection, not wrath. Help me walk in the righteousness of Christ, by His example and abiding presence in my life. I declare that You are righteous, You love righteousness, and I want to behold Your face.
