Do you know what the Lord hates? Do you hate what He hates? Actually did you even know that God hates? He tells us plainly what He hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. First notice it’s what not ‘who’ He hates. Scripture tells us that there are seven things that the Lord hates: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord.
Do you see these traits in others? Do they manifest in your life? Can you say that you’ve never acted in any of those ways? You may not have shed blood, but if you’ve ever gossips there’s a strong possibility that you sowed discord and you may have been a false witness. The problem is that these traits are all too human and seductive in how they entice us. They are all traits that we have to guard against. These ‘traits’ are all aimed at separating us from who we’re suppose to be and how we are expected to act. But unless you hate them as He hates them then they’ll hover around the edges.
One of the things that’s always fascinated me is that a proud look is in the same categorization as hands that shed innocent blood. We see a similar grouping in Romans (1:28-31) in which murder and envy are in the same grouping but also those who approve those who practice these behaviors. We need to avoid all involvement but also avoid approving those who are involved in such things. Granted we can’t approve the actions of those involved in those actions but our concern should be with the ‘who’ practicing the what.
God’s displeasure is with the practice, with the ‘what’. But displeasure is a tempering word, I should use the word God does – hate! We also should focus on the ‘what’ and not the who. Have you ever really considered the verses in either Proverbs or Romans? Do you know why God would hate those traits and how they are related? If you think about it for long you’ll recognize that each one of those activities is against love. Love IS God so it’s little wonder that He hates anything that is contrary to love.
