Psalms 119:113 - Meaning and Application

Here we see David’s fear of the first stirrings of sin, even at the earliest stage. He says, “I hate vain thoughts.” He does not mean he hated them in other people, because he could not know their thoughts. He means he hated them in his own heart.

Every good person should take their thoughts seriously, because thoughts are words spoken to God. Vain thoughts, even though many people treat them lightly, are sinful and harmful. We should see them as hateful and dangerous, because they do more than distract us from what is good. They also open the door to every kind of evil (Jeremiah 4:14).

David could not say he was completely free from vain thoughts, but he could say he hated them. He did not approve of them or welcome them. He fought against them as much as he could, and at least tried to keep them under control. In that sense, “the evil I do I allow not.”

David also loved the rule that shows the right way to live: “But your law do I love.” God’s law forbids vain thoughts and warns against them. The more we love God’s law, the more we will gain power over these empty thoughts. They will become more hateful to us, because they go against everything the law teaches. And we will stay more watchful, so they do not lead us away from what we love.