tormented by the double-minded

Psalm 119:113–120 NKJV
113 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, For I will keep the commandments of my God!
116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
118 You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.
119 You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.

What does it mean to be double-minded?  The term is used here and in the New Testament in James 1:8.

James 1:8 NKJV   he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Although these two verses are in two languages, the Psalms in Hebrew and the Letter of James in Greek, the meaning is the very same.  It means a division within a person´s soul.

The soul of a person includes his or her mind, emotions, and will.  It is in our soul that we think, feel, and decide.

• When we think one way but feel another, we are double-minded.
• When we think a certain way, but then make a decision contrary to our own analysis, we are double-minded.
• When we feel a particular way, but decided to do something contrary to those feelings, we are double-minded.

I hope this explanation helps you to see that being double-minded is a state of conflict between the various parts of our soul.  We are all double-minded at times.  We have all felt this turmoil within us.

Although he does not say so here, David certainly had times that he himself was double-minded.  But he didn´t like it.  He did not want to be that way.  So he lashes out at others that are that way lest they drag him back into double-mindedness with them.

This stanza of Psalm 119 tells us how David overcame double-mindedness, so it can be very instructive and helpful to each of us who also hate to go through the conflict of soul that James said makes us unstable.

Allow me please to paraphrase to try to verbalize the truths the Holy Spirit is sharing here though His servant David.

113 – I hate you people whose soul is always conflicted over right and wrong, but I love God´s law (in which there is never such a conflict.)

114 – Lord, in this stability, You are a refuge to me and my protecting shield.  Through this, You give me hope!

115 – Get away from me you evil double-minded folks.  I will stick with the unchanging, undivided commandments of my God!

116 – Hold me up, God, as Your Word promises, so that I will never be ashamed of declaring You as my hope.

117 – If You hold me up, I will be safe!  Because I know this is true, I will obey Your statutes continually.

118 – Lord, You reject those who disobey Your statutes, because out of their being willfully deceived, they speak the lie.

119 – You destroy all the wicked like the refuse.  Therefore I set myself to love every word You give.

120 – I tremble in awe, reverential fear, of You, Almighty God.  I am afraid of Your fearsome judgments upon those who do not believe.

EMAIL BRO. MIKE