Tuesday, July 26: Proverbs 6- Seven Things the Lord Hates

 

This chapter, like most in Proverbs, is a series of pithy sayings on various topics. As I read through chapter 6, I first paused after verses 6-11 and contemplated the sluggard or lazy person. Proverbs will have much to say to the person who does not apply him/herself. I thought about the instruction to work diligently in these verses but quickly moved on because my nature is generally to work hard and diligently, so these verses were simply feeding how I generally live.

Verses 16-19.  Now they gave me food for thought and contemplations. 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.

I took a slow walk though these seven things…

1- Haughty eyes: other translations read a ‘proud look.’ People who have an air about them that says I am better than you, I am better than others…

2- Lying: God hates lying.  He hates those small white lies I often convince myself are okay and the big lies that destroy the fabric of any relationship, be it interpersonal or work related.

3- Murder: since the account of Cain and Able in Genesis 4, God has been against murder, the killing of innocent life. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:21-22 that we can ‘murder’ people with our words as well as our hands.

4- Scheming wicked heart: people who work at defrauding, cheating, stealing and exploiting others.

5- People who rush into evil: people who seem to enjoy a dalliance with evil, who like to dance on/over the ethical/legal/community-appropriate line.

6- False witness; people who perjure to place blame on others or remove blame from self or cover up wrong doing.

7- Dissention creators: people who stir the pot so strife between people grows.

Attempting to write descriptions for these ‘things’ helped me to process these words from the Lord. Otherwise, I might have rush past them.

Questions swirl within my soul.  Am I avoiding these seven things God hates?

Lord, help me to look deep within, to examine and see who I am and how I am living. Are any of these ‘things’ found in me? Painfully, yes.  So purge them from me. Holy Spirit, convict me of my sin that I might confess and receive forgiveness mercy and grace…through Jesus, I pray. Amen.