Psalm 119:158 Loathing

I look on the faithless with loathing,
 for they do not obey your word.
Psalm 119:158

Loathing seems like a pretty strong word.

Are we supposed to look on the faithless with loathing?

Other translations use other terms, but they don't really soften it any.

Seeing these traitors makes me sick at heart (NLT)

I look at the faithless with disgust (ESV)

I beheld the transgressors and was grieved (KJV)

Eugene Peterson uses an even sharper tone in The Message:

I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing; they walked away from your promises so casually!

Earlier, in Psalm 119:136, David describes the depth of his emotional response to seeing so many people choosing their own way instead of God's way.

Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

I had two chief mentors in learning to counsel people who have sinned in "disgusting" ways. They gave what seemed at first to be conflicting advice, but I've learned there's a need for both ends of the spectrum.

Wayne Kessler, my counseling professor at Central Christian College of the Bible, said the counselor should never react to the big reveal of a counselee. Never show loathing or disgust in your physical or verbal reactions. The focus should instead be on examining the details and exploring a practical and effective plan for change.

Roy Weece, who taught me a great deal about counseling during my years at the Mizzou Christian Campus House, said it’s always appropriate to show shock and disgust at sin that is shocking and disgusting.

I once saw a mixture of the two played out in the office of a lawyer. I was there with a young man who had committed a crime, a misdemeanor. In the grand scheme of things, his offense wouldn't be ranked among the worst by nearly anyone. He had found himself tangled in a mess where the things others had done were far greater in their impact.

The attorney, after hearing the details of what happened, responded with a five minute tongue lashing, expressing his disgust and loathing at how his client had betrayed the trust of the community. He didn't hold anything back because knew this young man needed to know he couldn't just shrug this off as a minor decision with little long term impact.

But then the lawyer abruptly switched his focus to addressing the details of what to do next. The past is past and that can't be denied or changed. But the present is the key to the future, and there were things to be done, step by step, to return to a productive and purposeful life.

The same two-step approach is true when dealing with people who have faithlessly turned their backs on God's Word and God's ways. Their sin is indeed disgusting, and they need to own that fact. They also need to embrace the Word as their key to making each day a new day of turning back toward God's direction.