In the New Testament, Jesus tells a story of those who had gods before God.
“Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”
Luke 14:16-24
Let’s re-tell this parable from a slightly different angle:
A certain King made a great supper and invited all of “Me” to come. At supper time, He sent His servants, Prompting of the Spirit and Calling of Love, to say to various parts of Me, “Come for all things are now ready.”
And all my emotions, my will, my mind, and various parts of my body in one accord began to make excuse. The first said unto Him, “I told these people that I would spend time with them, and I need to go do it. I pray you, excuse me.”
And another said, “I just got a new book and I’m about to study it. Have me excused.”
Another said, “I am way too tired; therefore I cannot come.”
…what is the end of this story? Do we listen to the excuses of our emotions, our mind, our will, and our body and therefore miss out on the King’s supper? Or does our spirit gladly say, “I come, LORD, to be with Thee”?
Just as supper is a daily activity, this is a daily decision. He has prepared it for you; He wants to be with you. How do you respond to His daily invitation?
With this background, the next words of Jesus – Luke 14:26 – make sense: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Those who were bidden to the supper did not “hate” all else but Him. They had gods before God: houses, ground, animals, and wives.
To this end, my spirit – not my soul – says, “I hate people (things, possessions, activities, events, etc.).” It is our spirit, not our soul, because our soul is still naturally attached to those things. However, once our spirit has spontaneously—apart from our own power or will—declared hatred, we are free from our expectations of other people and things around us. If we hate them, we expect nothing and therefore our expectation is in God alone.
When we choose off a menu, it is not that the other items on the menu are not good things; it is just that we have chosen one above the others. It is the same way with God; other people and things may be very good in our lives, but we are choosing God above them.
We are not worthy of Christ if we do not hate our father, our mother, and others; Christ said so. Because of this, I can hate with all the love of God in me! We are not free to love others with the love of God in us until we first hate others with all the love of God in us.
The love of God in me is directed towards Himself. It therefore causes me to hate others. Once I do, my heart, soul, and spirit belong to God alone. When they are fully in His control and not in the control of others, the love of God flows through me in love to others. This is a picture of one who has no other gods before God.
This hatred is not a malicious, vengeful, ugly, wicked hatred; it is the “perfect hatred.” This is the “time to hate.” Allow the love of God to work its perfect work in you – in both love and hatred!
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is of him.” – “Jesus, I am RESTING, resting, in the joy of what Thou art…” – “Nothing between my soul and the Savior!!” – “Thou shalt have no other gods before me!”
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