Another Good Text:

At breakfast we are reading through Psalms. We are currently reading through Ps. 119, one section at a time. Recently we read the section of the acrostic in which all the lines begin with the Hebrew letter Mem. With the thought of my new blog name in my head, I found the last verse of this section quite interesting. Here is the section in full:

97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

And just so you can see the acrostic, here's the Hebrew (read right to left):

97 מָֽה־אָהַ֥בְתִּי תוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם הִ֣יא שִׂיחָתִֽי׃
98 מֵ֭אֹ֣יְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵ֣נִי מִצְוֹתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם הִיא־לִֽי׃
99 מִכָּל־מְלַמְּדַ֥י הִשְׂכַּ֑לְתִּי כִּ֥י עֵ֝דְוֹתֶ֗יךָ שִׂ֣יחָה לִֽֿי׃
100 מִזְּקֵנִ֥ים אֶתְבּוֹנָ֑ן כִּ֖י פִקּוּדֶ֣יךָ נָצָֽרְתִּי׃
101 מִכָּל־אֹ֣רַח רָ֭ע כָּלִ֣אתִי רַגְלָ֑י לְ֝מַ֗עַן אֶשְׁמֹ֥ר דְּבָרֶֽךָ׃
102 מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶ֥יךָ לֹא־סָ֑רְתִּי כִּֽי־אַ֝תָּ֗ה הוֹרֵתָֽנִי׃
103 מַה־נִּמְלְצ֣וּ לְ֭חִכִּי אִמְרָתֶ֗ךָ מִדְּבַ֥שׁ לְפִֽי׃
104 מִפִּקּוּדֶ֥יךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָ֑ן עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן שָׂנֵ֤אתִי׀ כָּל־אֹ֬רַח שָֽׁקֶר׃

While the word 'hate' may seem a little harsh to our modern ears, I think no language is too strong for what our reaction to whatever takes us away from God and his law should be. We are to hate sin and flee from it, because it is directly opposed to God to whom we should love and flee to.

I find it interesting that the longest psalm is all about one thing: God's law. People don't often like having rules and limitations, but here we see that such an attitude is not one that Christians should have. We should love having the Lord's law, for it frees us, makes us wiser, directs us where we should go. We are to love it, and hate anything that opposes it. We are to love walking in God's law, and hate any other path.