The Lord is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). He calls upon His people to follow Him with an undivided heart. One facet of our calling involves hating evil. Our love for the Lord will naturally breed a hatred for the things of this world. Throughout the psalms, we find statements of hatred from the people of God. They hated “the congregation of evil doers” (Psalm 26:5), “them that regard lying vanities” (Psalm 31:6), “the work of them that turn aside” (Psalm 101:3), “every false way” (Psalm 119:104, 128), “vain thoughts” (Psalm 119:113), and “covetousness” (Proverbs 28:16). God never intended for these truths to be limited to His children in Old Testament times. Just as the Bible commands that we should love the Lord and the brethren, it also commands that we should hate things contrary to the Lord.
This passage poses an important question to those who are drawn too close to those who live as God’s enemies. “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD?” Furthermore, the Bible also says, “that the friendship of the world is enmity with God.” Immediately, our flesh rebels against what this could mean for our worldly relationships. We might conclude: “But shouldn’t we love the lost?” Your mind might be directed toward those loved ones who are yet unsaved. These truths are not meant to convey that we should no longer be concerned with the eternal destination of those that we know. The Bible does, however, teach that we should not develop close associations with those who live ungodly. God drives this truth home by saying, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
