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00:00:01 Jehovah, the God of love, hates. 00:00:05 That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? 00:00:06 How can that be? 00:00:08 Well, look at the first part of today’s text 00:00:11 at Psalm 97:10: 00:00:13 “O you who love Jehovah, hate what is bad.” 00:00:18 Our God expects us to “hate what is bad” because he does that. 00:00:23 And the reason for this is explained in the first two verses of Psalm 97. 00:00:27 Verse 1 begins: “Jehovah has become King!” 00:00:31 Verse 2 concludes: “Righteousness and justice 00:00:35 are the foundation of his throne.” 00:00:38 And in the Scriptures, righteousness refers to what is right 00:00:41 according to God’s standard of right and wrong. 00:00:46 And here are just a few examples in the Bible 00:00:48 of the things that Jehovah says are wrong and that he hates. 00:00:52 At Psalm 11:5 it says: 00:00:55 “[Jehovah] hates anyone who loves violence.” 00:00:59 At Isaiah 61:8 it says: 00:01:01 “I, Jehovah, . . . hate robbery and unrighteousness.” 00:01:05 At Malachi 2:16 it states: 00:01:09 “‘I hate divorce,’ says Jehovah.” 00:01:12 The context is talking about treacherous, unscriptural divorce. 00:01:16 And then there’s Proverbs chapter 6, 00:01:18 let’s turn in our Bibles to that. 00:01:20 Proverbs the 6th chapter starting with verse 16: 00:01:27 “There are six things that Jehovah hates; 00:01:29 “yes, seven things that he detests: 00:01:32 “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, 00:01:35 “and hands that shed innocent blood, 00:01:37 “a heart plotting wicked schemes, 00:01:40 “and feet that run quickly to evil, 00:01:42 “a false witness who lies with every breath, 00:01:45 and anyone sowing contentions among brothers.” 00:01:50 So, yes, the God of love hates, 00:01:53 and so does Jesus. 00:01:56 Look at what was said of God’s Son 00:01:58 at Hebrews 1:9. 00:02:01 Hebrews 1:9: 00:02:04 “You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. 00:02:08 “That is why God, your God, 00:02:10 “anointed you with the oil of exultation 00:02:13 more than your companions.” 00:02:15 Well, if we desire Jehovah’s blessing, 00:02:18 then we also must hate what is bad 00:02:21 —that is, have an intense aversion, 00:02:24 a strong abhorrence for what God hates. 00:02:28 And having that godly hate serves as a powerful protection for us 00:02:32 not to get involved in any bad practices. 00:02:36 But exactly what do these include? 00:02:39 Well, we just read in Proverbs 00:02:41 seven categories of hateful things. 00:02:44 They’re basic, but they cover virtually all types of wrongs. 00:02:48 Haughty eyes and wicked schemes are sins committed in thought. 00:02:53 A lying tongue and a false witness are sinful words. 00:02:57 Hands that shed blood and feet that run to evil 00:03:00 and someone who produces contentions among brothers 00:03:05 —why, those are all wicked deeds. 00:03:08 And interestingly, the writer, 00:03:10 when he increased the number of things Jehovah hates from six to seven 00:03:15 —that suggests that this list is not intended to be complete, 00:03:19 because humans keep thinking up bad things. 00:03:23 And as an example, consider the escalating trend toward the use 00:03:27 of more and more explicit sex and graphic violence 00:03:31 that appear today in advertising and entertainment 00:03:35 —from clothing ads to movies. 00:03:38 Now how much of that can we be exposed to 00:03:41 before it affects us mentally and morally? 00:03:45 It makes me think of the five-second rule. 00:03:47 Have you ever heard of that? 00:03:49 It’s the so-called rule that some people say applies 00:03:52 to food that’s dropped on the floor. 00:03:54 That it’s OK to eat it if you pick it up in five seconds or less 00:03:58 because bacteria won’t have time to contaminate it. 00:04:02 But is that really true? 00:04:04 Not according to research done last year at Rutgers University. 00:04:09 It was concluded that no matter how fast you pick up food that falls on the floor, 00:04:13 you will pick up bacteria with it 00:04:15 —sometimes in less than one second. 00:04:18 Of course, the longer the food sits on the floor, 00:04:21 the more bacteria it collects. 00:04:24 So if you eat food dropped on the floor, 00:04:26 you’re taking a chance no matter how long it sat there. 00:04:30 And you should know that a clean-looking floor 00:04:32 is not necessarily clean. 00:04:35 So if food falls on the floor, when in doubt, throw it out. 00:04:41 But how does this relate to our discussion of hating the things that Jehovah hates? 00:04:46 Well, how long does it take for an immoral, violent, or satanic image 00:04:50 to burn a thought into our mind? 00:04:54 Something we see on a billboard, in a magazine, 00:04:57 on television, at a movie, on the Internet 00:05:00 —Is there a five-second rule for this sort of thing? 00:05:03 Should we think that as long as we look at it only briefly, 00:05:07 it will not contaminate us? 00:05:09 Well, let’s use five seconds as an example 00:05:12 and see how long that is, and you can judge for yourselves. 00:05:16 Don’t take your eyes off the screen. 00:05:26 Now, do you think at lunch today you’ll be able to remember that picture, 00:05:30 a delicious looking chocolate ice-cream sundae 00:05:33 with syrup and a cherry on top? 00:05:35 Well, don’t expect to see it on the lunch line. 00:05:39 Now, let’s try four seconds. 00:05:41 What about this image? 00:05:49 Will this cute baby’s face come back to your mind tomorrow? next week? 00:05:54 Now, watch the screen for three seconds. 00:05:56 Will this image stick in your mind? 00:06:04 Next month, next year, 00:06:06 do you think you will be able to remember Jesus on a white horse, 00:06:10 riding off to the battle of Armageddon? 00:06:13 Now, you saw each picture for only a few seconds, 00:06:17 and yet scientists say the human brain 00:06:19 can process images in even less time 00:06:22 —in a split second, in the blink of an eye. 00:06:26 So think how much processing our brain can do 00:06:29 in several seconds or minutes or longer. 00:06:33 Now, the pictures we just looked at were all wholesome images. 00:06:37 But what if there had been a pornographic picture from the Internet? 00:06:41 a sexually explicit or graphically violent scene from a movie? 00:06:46 or some spiritistic gore in a video game? 00:06:50 If we gaze at something that Jehovah hates, 00:06:52 we’re taking a chance —no matter how long we look at it— 00:06:56 and that graphic image can come back to mind 00:06:59 again and again to haunt us. 00:07:01 Now, we may not be able to avoid all of this 100 percent 00:07:05 because of the wicked world that surrounds us, 00:07:08 but we certainly don’t have to linger in looking at these things, 00:07:11 and we do not want to seek them out. 00:07:14 And we need to realize that what we might think is a clean movie 00:07:19 is not necessarily clean. 00:07:21 So like food that has fallen on the floor, 00:07:24 when in doubt, we throw it out. 00:07:27 So we need to detest the immorality, the violence, 00:07:31 the spiritistic practices of Satan’s world. 00:07:33 In other words, hate every practice 00:07:36 that violates Jehovah’s righteous standards. 00:07:39 Now, even if we hate what is bad, 00:07:42 we may struggle because we live in a world that caters to the flesh, 00:07:46 and we have our own sinful nature to control. 00:07:50 So how do we develop the needed hatred for what is bad? 00:07:55 First, we strengthen our desire 00:07:57 to please Jehovah in everything we do. 00:08:01 Then, we meditate on what it is that he loves 00:08:05 and what it is that he hates. 00:08:07 And finally, we convince ourselves of the badness of the things that he hates 00:08:11 by considering how disgusting the results are 00:08:15 for those who practice them. 00:08:18 And one more thing, if we struggle with this, 00:08:21 then we pray earnestly to Jehovah 00:08:23 to help us strengthen our powers of self-control. 00:08:28 Well, you can be sure that as our day’s text, Psalm 97:10, 00:08:32 says of those who imitate Jehovah and hate what is bad: 00:08:35 “He is guarding the lives of his loyal ones, 00:08:38 [and] he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.”
00:00:01 Jehovah, the God of love, hates. 00:00:05 That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? 00:00:06 How can that be? 00:00:08 Well, look at the first part of today’s text 00:00:11 at Psalm 97:10: 00:00:13 “O you who love Jehovah, hate what is bad.” 00:00:18 Our God expects us to “hate what is bad” because he does that. 00:00:23 And the reason for this is explained in the first two verses of Psalm 97. 00:00:27 Verse 1 begins: “Jehovah has become King!” 00:00:31 Verse 2 concludes: “Righteousness and justice 00:00:35 are the foundation of his throne.” 00:00:38 And in the Scriptures, righteousness refers to what is right 00:00:41 according to God’s standard of right and wrong. 00:00:46 And here are just a few examples in the Bible 00:00:48 of the things that Jehovah says are wrong and that he hates. 00:00:52 At Psalm 11:5 it says: 00:00:55 “[Jehovah] hates anyone who loves violence.” 00:00:59 At Isaiah 61:8 it says: 00:01:01 “I, Jehovah, . . . hate robbery and unrighteousness.” 00:01:05 At Malachi 2:16 it states: 00:01:09 “‘I hate divorce,’ says Jehovah.” 00:01:12 The context is talking about treacherous, unscriptural divorce. 00:01:16 And then there’s Proverbs chapter 6, 00:01:18 let’s turn in our Bibles to that. 00:01:20 Proverbs the 6th chapter starting with verse 16: 00:01:27 “There are six things that Jehovah hates; 00:01:29 “yes, seven things that he detests: 00:01:32 “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, 00:01:35 “and hands that shed innocent blood, 00:01:37 “a heart plotting wicked schemes, 00:01:40 “and feet that run quickly to evil, 00:01:42 “a false witness who lies with every breath, 00:01:45 and anyone sowing contentions among brothers.” 00:01:50 So, yes, the God of love hates, 00:01:53 and so does Jesus. 00:01:56 Look at what was said of God’s Son 00:01:58 at Hebrews 1:9. 00:02:01 Hebrews 1:9: 00:02:04 “You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. 00:02:08 “That is why God, your God, 00:02:10 “anointed you with the oil of exultation 00:02:13 more than your companions.” 00:02:15 Well, if we desire Jehovah’s blessing, 00:02:18 then we also must hate what is bad 00:02:21 —that is, have an intense aversion, 00:02:24 a strong abhorrence for what God hates. 00:02:28 And having that godly hate serves as a powerful protection for us 00:02:32 not to get involved in any bad practices. 00:02:36 But exactly what do these include? 00:02:39 Well, we just read in Proverbs 00:02:41 seven categories of hateful things. 00:02:44 They’re basic, but they cover virtually all types of wrongs. 00:02:48 Haughty eyes and wicked schemes are sins committed in thought. 00:02:53 A lying tongue and a false witness are sinful words. 00:02:57 Hands that shed blood and feet that run to evil 00:03:00 and someone who produces contentions among brothers 00:03:05 —why, those are all wicked deeds. 00:03:08 And interestingly, the writer, 00:03:10 when he increased the number of things Jehovah hates from six to seven 00:03:15 —that suggests that this list is not intended to be complete, 00:03:19 because humans keep thinking up bad things. 00:03:23 And as an example, consider the escalating trend toward the use 00:03:27 of more and more explicit sex and graphic violence 00:03:31 that appear today in advertising and entertainment 00:03:35 —from clothing ads to movies. 00:03:38 Now how much of that can we be exposed to 00:03:41 before it affects us mentally and morally? 00:03:45 It makes me think of the five-second rule. 00:03:47 Have you ever heard of that? 00:03:49 It’s the so-called rule that some people say applies 00:03:52 to food that’s dropped on the floor. 00:03:54 That it’s OK to eat it if you pick it up in five seconds or less 00:03:58 because bacteria won’t have time to contaminate it. 00:04:02 But is that really true? 00:04:04 Not according to research done last year at Rutgers University. 00:04:09 It was concluded that no matter how fast you pick up food that falls on the floor, 00:04:13 you will pick up bacteria with it 00:04:15 —sometimes in less than one second. 00:04:18 Of course, the longer the food sits on the floor, 00:04:21 the more bacteria it collects. 00:04:24 So if you eat food dropped on the floor, 00:04:26 you’re taking a chance no matter how long it sat there. 00:04:30 And you should know that a clean-looking floor 00:04:32 is not necessarily clean. 00:04:35 So if food falls on the floor, when in doubt, throw it out. 00:04:41 But how does this relate to our discussion of hating the things that Jehovah hates? 00:04:46 Well, how long does it take for an immoral, violent, or satanic image 00:04:50 to burn a thought into our mind? 00:04:54 Something we see on a billboard, in a magazine, 00:04:57 on television, at a movie, on the Internet 00:05:00 —Is there a five-second rule for this sort of thing? 00:05:03 Should we think that as long as we look at it only briefly, 00:05:07 it will not contaminate us? 00:05:09 Well, let’s use five seconds as an example 00:05:12 and see how long that is, and you can judge for yourselves. 00:05:16 Don’t take your eyes off the screen. 00:05:26 Now, do you think at lunch today you’ll be able to remember that picture, 00:05:30 a delicious looking chocolate ice-cream sundae 00:05:33 with syrup and a cherry on top? 00:05:35 Well, don’t expect to see it on the lunch line. 00:05:39 Now, let’s try four seconds. 00:05:41 What about this image? 00:05:49 Will this cute baby’s face come back to your mind tomorrow? next week? 00:05:54 Now, watch the screen for three seconds. 00:05:56 Will this image stick in your mind? 00:06:04 Next month, next year, 00:06:06 do you think you will be able to remember Jesus on a white horse, 00:06:10 riding off to the battle of Armageddon? 00:06:13 Now, you saw each picture for only a few seconds, 00:06:17 and yet scientists say the human brain 00:06:19 can process images in even less time 00:06:22 —in a split second, in the blink of an eye. 00:06:26 So think how much processing our brain can do 00:06:29 in several seconds or minutes or longer. 00:06:33 Now, the pictures we just looked at were all wholesome images. 00:06:37 But what if there had been a pornographic picture from the Internet? 00:06:41 a sexually explicit or graphically violent scene from a movie? 00:06:46 or some spiritistic gore in a video game? 00:06:50 If we gaze at something that Jehovah hates, 00:06:52 we’re taking a chance —no matter how long we look at it— 00:06:56 and that graphic image can come back to mind 00:06:59 again and again to haunt us. 00:07:01 Now, we may not be able to avoid all of this 100 percent 00:07:05 because of the wicked world that surrounds us, 00:07:08 but we certainly don’t have to linger in looking at these things, 00:07:11 and we do not want to seek them out. 00:07:14 And we need to realize that what we might think is a clean movie 00:07:19 is not necessarily clean. 00:07:21 So like food that has fallen on the floor, 00:07:24 when in doubt, we throw it out. 00:07:27 So we need to detest the immorality, the violence, 00:07:31 the spiritistic practices of Satan’s world. 00:07:33 In other words, hate every practice 00:07:36 that violates Jehovah’s righteous standards. 00:07:39 Now, even if we hate what is bad, 00:07:42 we may struggle because we live in a world that caters to the flesh, 00:07:46 and we have our own sinful nature to control. 00:07:50 So how do we develop the needed hatred for what is bad? 00:07:55 First, we strengthen our desire 00:07:57 to please Jehovah in everything we do. 00:08:01 Then, we meditate on what it is that he loves 00:08:05 and what it is that he hates. 00:08:07 And finally, we convince ourselves of the badness of the things that he hates 00:08:11 by considering how disgusting the results are 00:08:15 for those who practice them. 00:08:18 And one more thing, if we struggle with this, 00:08:21 then we pray earnestly to Jehovah 00:08:23 to help us strengthen our powers of self-control. 00:08:28 Well, you can be sure that as our day’s text, Psalm 97:10, 00:08:32 says of those who imitate Jehovah and hate what is bad: 00:08:35 “He is guarding the lives of his loyal ones, 00:08:38 [and] he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.”
