Links for today’s readings:
Jul 24 Read: Isaiah 53 Listen: (2:39) Read: Psalm 119.97-120 Listen: (15:14)
Links for this weekend’s readings:
Jul 25 Read: Isaiah 54 Listen: (3:14) Read: Psalm 119.121-144 Listen: (15:14)
Jul 26 Read: Isaiah 55 Listen: (2:11) Read: Psalms 119.145-176 Listen: (15:14)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 119.113-120
Samekh
113 I hate double-minded people,
but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
115 Away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees,
for their delusions come to nothing.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.
Reflection: Be Single-Minded
By John Tillman
How can the psalmist say, “I hate double-minded people” and claim to love God’s law? Shouldn’t we love our neighbors and even our enemies?
“Hate the sin; love the sinner,” even when well-intentioned, is easily abused and easily misunderstood.
It is important to understand that the psalmist is not using “hate” as we usually use it. Hate groups hate others categorically and completely, based on unchangeable aspects of their being, identity, or origins. The psalmist and other biblical writers use hate to poetically emphasize choosing what is good over what is evil. Those who are “hated” by God or God’s representatives are not hated for any unchangeable part of who they are, but for their choices. And they are lovingly called to repent.
The psalmist doesn’t use hate to justify attacking or harming the double-minded. He just doesn’t want to become like them. The psalmist is concerned with his own actions and choices.
What does double-minded mean? How do we avoid double-mindedness and how should we treat the double-minded?
From the psalmist we learn how the double-minded reject taking refuge in God or his word, stray from God’s decrees, and spread delusions which come to nothing. They act wickedly with no fear of God.
In Kings, Elijah didn’t use the word “double-minded,” but scolded the people for “wavering between two opinions.” They wavered between worshiping God and Baal. (1 Kings 18.21)
In the New Testament, James described the double-minded as lacking wisdom. Instead of asking and trusting God, they doubted what God called good. Their doubt made them like chaotic waves of the sea, blown back and forth. The double-minded would not humble themselves, submit to God, or resist the devil. (James 1.5-8; 4.8)
The double-minded have no convictions or principles that ground their lives and actions. They do whatever seems right or “wise” to them at the moment. Any false idol or leader convinces them. They celebrate sins even as sins destroy them. We should rightly hate this and resist it in our own lives. But this kind of “hate” for outcomes and actions does not extend to people.
For this reason, we must be single-minded about sharing the gospel with the double-minded. As Elijah and James called sinners to “come near,” so must we. If we are humble enough to share with them, and they are humble enough to listen, God will lift us up together. No one is beyond hope.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
You are my hope, O Lord God, my confidence since I was young. — Psalm 71.5
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Read more: Cry, Creator, Cry!
“Look how he dies. Cry, Creator, Cry!
This is my day to stand upon the
breast of God and claim my victory
over love…” — The World Hater, The Singer by Calvin Miller
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