David, in writing Psalm 139 uses the word hate but in the context it makes all kinds of sense.

"Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers-out of here!-All the men and women who belittle you, God, infatuated with cheap god-imitations. See how I hate those who hate you, God, see how I loathe all this godless arrogance; I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred. Your enemies are my enemies!"

- Psalm 139:18-22 Message

David starts this part of the Psalm revealing the deep longing for the beauty of God‘s kingdom, where the things that God hates do not exist; sin and selfishness which leads to the worst of things. Jesus said how great is that darkness for those that call darkness light and light darkness. When we exclude God through our arrogance and create cheap imitations of him we increase the darkness. David is saying I hate the things that God hates. Another way of saying that is, I hate what God calls dark and I love what God calls light!

In the next section he starts off with the word, "search me oh God." He personalizes this need to be clear on what is dark and light in him, that only God really has absolute clarity on. The Bible is clear on what is dark and light and His word directs us, but the journey inside is one that we must relinquish the search to Him and let Him reveal in us what He sees.

It is very important that we hate the things that destroy our souls and the souls of others, even through us. No shallow reading of this allowed please! We are not to hate our souls or the souls of others, only the things that destroy our souls and others! Hatred of the right things in us, and around us is the beginning of a more powerful love for the right things! When we get that mixed up we will grow in loving the wrong things and hating the wrong things! We do not want to end up hating the things that God loves and loving the things that God hates! A father and mother who hate the immorality that their children are exposed to, are a father and mother that have affirmed a deeper love for their children and God’s light!

Question: Are you hating the things that God hates so love can grow?

Meditation: Where have the cheap imitations of God determined what I hate rather than God himself?