What God Hates
"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
The early part of any new relationship involves discovering what the other person likes and doesn’t like. Sam, my two-year-old son, has already learned to open a conversation with, “What’s your favorite . . .?” As he’s gotten to know me, he has learned that “daddy’s music” is usually jazz, that daddy likes eggs every morning, and that Sam is one of daddy’s most “favorites.” But Sam is also learning what daddy doesn’t like. He knows I don’t want him to bang his head on the floor when he’s upset (why do kids do that?), that I don’t like it when he disobeys, and that I’d rather he not feed the pork chop to grandpa’s dog during dinner.
In today’s passage, Solomon helps us get to know our spiritual Father by telling us some things He really hates. It’s weird for us to hear that God hates something. We think of Him -- as we should! -- as the God who loved us in spite of our sin and even sacrificed His own birth Son to offer us a place in His family. But God still hates sin. And we know that He specifically hates these sins. Notice that the writer frames the “top 5” as body parts.
1. Haughty eyes: I never understood this one as well as I do now that I have a two-year-old. It’s the look we all get sometimes that says, “I don’t need you. I can do this on my own. I don’t have to do what you say. You’re not the boss of me.” When we look at God that way, He hates it.
2. A lying tongue: God hates lying. One of the easiest sins for us to justify is one that He hates the most. Jesus called himself the truth. Lies are “anti-God.”
3. Hands that shed innocent blood: God detests injustice, especially hurting the innocent for fun and profit.
4. A heart that devises wicked schemes: When we spend our mental and emotional energies creating strategies to sin and get away with it, God hates that, too.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil: Another body part. It’s not just sinful strategies that God hates, it’s also the mindset that says, “Sin? I’m there, dude.”
6. A false witness who pours out lies: It should tell us something that lying makes God’s hate list twice.
7. A man who stirs up dissension among brothers: Remember when Jesus said, “Blessed on the peacemakers”? This is the opposite of that: the peace-breakers. God hates that, as well.
So what does this list do for us? For one, it helps us to know the God who loves us better. Two, it gives us a way to show our love for the God who sacrificed His Son for us -- by not doing what we know He hates. When Sam chooses to obey me, he not only makes me happy, he’s learning that he helps us to move closer together. We can draw close to God by doing the same thing with Him.
The early part of any new relationship involves discovering what the other person likes and doesn’t like. Sam, my two-year-old son, has already learned to open a conversation with, “What’s your favorite . . .?” As he’s gotten to know me, he has learned that “daddy’s music” is usually jazz, that daddy likes eggs every morning, and that Sam is one of daddy’s most “favorites.” But Sam is also learning what daddy doesn’t like. He knows I don’t want him to bang his head on the floor when he’s upset (why do kids do that?), that I don’t like it when he disobeys, and that I’d rather he not feed the pork chop to grandpa’s dog during dinner.
In today’s passage, Solomon helps us get to know our spiritual Father by telling us some things He really hates. It’s weird for us to hear that God hates something. We think of Him -- as we should! -- as the God who loved us in spite of our sin and even sacrificed His own birth Son to offer us a place in His family. But God still hates sin. And we know that He specifically hates these sins. Notice that the writer frames the “top 5” as body parts.
1. Haughty eyes: I never understood this one as well as I do now that I have a two-year-old. It’s the look we all get sometimes that says, “I don’t need you. I can do this on my own. I don’t have to do what you say. You’re not the boss of me.” When we look at God that way, He hates it.
2. A lying tongue: God hates lying. One of the easiest sins for us to justify is one that He hates the most. Jesus called himself the truth. Lies are “anti-God.”
3. Hands that shed innocent blood: God detests injustice, especially hurting the innocent for fun and profit.
4. A heart that devises wicked schemes: When we spend our mental and emotional energies creating strategies to sin and get away with it, God hates that, too.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil: Another body part. It’s not just sinful strategies that God hates, it’s also the mindset that says, “Sin? I’m there, dude.”
6. A false witness who pours out lies: It should tell us something that lying makes God’s hate list twice.
7. A man who stirs up dissension among brothers: Remember when Jesus said, “Blessed on the peacemakers”? This is the opposite of that: the peace-breakers. God hates that, as well.
So what does this list do for us? For one, it helps us to know the God who loves us better. Two, it gives us a way to show our love for the God who sacrificed His Son for us -- by not doing what we know He hates. When Sam chooses to obey me, he not only makes me happy, he’s learning that he helps us to move closer together. We can draw close to God by doing the same thing with Him.
posted by Christopher Lyon at
9:20 AM
1 Comments:
yes... it is very weird to know that God hates something thank you for bringing me to this understanding
Post a Comment
<< Home