Psalm 36 - Fear and Hate

Fear and Hate

God, these are two words that, growing up, I wasn’t allowed to feel and experience. In fact, “hate” was essentially a bad word. And as a boy (and even now as a grown man), fear was seen as a weakness.


But God, these are two words that make up wisdom. And they are two words that have been absent for far too long in my Christian experience.

I have often been confounded by what it means to “fear the Lord.” As a New Testament believer who believes in eternal security, I wasn’t discipled to “fear the Lord.” I was taught to love him, serve him, sacrifice for him, pray to him, confess him, and follow him. But, to fear him wasn’t a part of my discipleship.

But God, in this psalm as well as in Proverbs 8:13, you give some definition to what it means to fear you. Proverbs 8:13 says, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil.” And, here in Psalm 35:1-2, you say that the wicked have no fear of God before their eyes, but instead flatter themselves to the point that they can’t see and hate their sin.

God, you have created and ordered a world where sin inevitably leads to ruin and destruction. Many times in the psalms and proverbs, we see that people fall into the pit they have dug themselves. And so, even if you took an extended vacation and did nothing from your throne, sin will still have disastrous consequences. Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

God, the law of sowing and reaping was your idea. This should cause me to shudder and hate sin. With healthy soberness and fear, I should root out the weeds I’ve allowed to grow in my life, knowing that, while you forgive my sin, you can still allow the destructive consequences.

And God, not only do you passively allow consequences to run their course, but for the believer, you actively discipline those you love. Again, this should cause me to fear you and hate my sin.

But God, this psalm takes a turn from just fearing you and hating evil. In verse 5, David begins speaking of your steadfast love. Thank you, thank you, thank you that you have not just called me to run from evil, but you have called me to run into your loving arms. You have not just called me to fear you, but to “feast on the abundance of your house” and “drink from the river of your delights” (v. 8).

God, thank you for these two often neglected words - fear and hate. And thank you that when I allow my sin to be exposed, I can run into the arms of your steadfast love.

Amen