[[-SOAP HUB]] | [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 97]] ## Title: Don’t Make Friends With Evil ## Scripture: (Psalm 97:10) “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his faithful followers; he delivers them from the power of the wicked.” (NET) ## Observation: I recently heard someone say that the word “sin” has been so altered in its meaning that it no longer carries the weight of its penalty. When you think about it, many people will use the word “sin” for something they probably shouldn’t do but secretly enjoy. Sin becomes something that is an outdated taboo that is no longer bad. Because of this, it was proposed that we stop using the word “sin” and start using the word “evil.” Evil still has the theme we are going for when we speak of how sin should make us feel. If we began to use those words interchangeably, the text today speaks directly to the idea of opposing all the things that God opposes. Evil can be the deeds of those who purposefully work against the purposes of God. God’s Word tells us to hate those things. That doesn’t mean we hate the people who do them. We hate the acts themselves. For example, we hate adultery. We do not hate the people who commit this “sin” or evil. They are broken and need forgiveness and healing. We hate the act of “sin” or evil out of our love for God. ## Application: How could you get a better idea of why God’s Word tells us to stay away from sin if you replaced the word “sin” with evil? ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for caring enough to tell us what will destroy us.