What Do You Hate?

Psalms 119:113-120
(113) Samekh. I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
(114) You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
(115) Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.
(116) Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
(117) Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!
(118) You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain.
(119) All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.
(120) My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.

It looks to me like the Psalmist does not want anyone to distract him from his love of God's Word. Now of course we are to be missional. We can't be salt and light to the world if we stay in the cupboard and never season anything. However, we also can't let the world distract us from the pursuit of God's Word.

This stanza makes it very clear that God is the one who gives us grace to walk with Him. We can't do it on our own. It also makes it clear that God will discard like dross those who do not love his testimonies.

Here's a question that I don't know enough Hebrew to answer yet -- does verse 118 imply that God spurns some people because they run away from His statutes or does it mean that they run away from His statutes because He spurned them? I think it is the former. This definitely sets up a tension with election. No one naturally wants to pursue God's statutes. Therefore, there must be some that He transforms to have that desire. In other words, he spurns those who run away from His statues, but He would have anyway because that is their natural bent.