Pride

When our girls were growing up, there were some things that met with instant punishment. First time obedience was a must. If we asked them to do something, they needed to do it the first time we asked and not the 10^th time. Disrespect and lying were also big no-nos.  One of my daughters had a pretty rough day in the disrespect category. Another spent a long time in my bedroom until she decided to tell the truth. Those moments were pivotal in their lives. They understood the value of respect and telling the truth. As parents, there are things that require our immediate attention. These things must be corrected quickly because if they are not, the children will begin to lay down habits that will forever taint their lives.

God gave us His word so that we would know what was required of us. The things we should do and the things we should not do.

“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19).

In Hebrew writing there is a common literary device which is this 1+ saying. Six yeah seven. Not that they didn’t know how to count or they thought of one more thing after they started writing. Rather, it was common in the wisdom literature to draw attention to what was to follow. It also was used to draw attention to the last item in the list. The last item in the list had great value. As we look at each of these things in the list, we can see that when we do any of the first 6 things it will cause the 7^th thing.

These are the things that God hates or are an abomination to Him. In other words, He absolutely abhors them.

1. Haughty eyes

The first thing on our list is pride. The sin that took Lucifer from being an angel of light for God to an angel of darkness was his pride. Is. 14:13-15 is a quotation from Satan when he sinned. The word “I” punctuates the beginning of every sentence. “I will ascend to heaven…I will set my throne on high…I will sit on the mount of assembly…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds…I will make myself like the Most High…” The pride mentioned here is so strong that it can be seen in the person’s eyes. Their countenance portrays what is in their heart. Those that are proud will flee self-examination and will blame or attempt to destroy those that highlight their deficiencies.  Those that are proud hate failure. When they do fail, they won’t ever blame themselves. They will blame someone or something else. It is never their fault. Have you met someone who is unwilling to ever admit their fault? What about a person who refuses wise counsel? What about a person who thinks that the only person that is right is them?

2. A Lying Tongue

Have you ever played 2 truths and a lie? Each person has to say 2 things about themselves that is true and one thing that is a lie. The lie has to be something that is believable. Have you met people who lie and are believable? You believe everything they say, only to find out later that they lied to you. Then when you confront them about their lie, they tell another lie to cover up the first lie. Many times when we are in the company of these liars, they make us feel uncomfortable. These with a lying tongue bring about confusion on the part of those that are within earshot of their lies. Do you ever feel a sense of confusion when you are in the company of someone or they make you feel uncomfortable? You need to start doing some fact checking. Not only do those that tell lies confuse others, they also are self-deceived. “…the folly of fools is deceiving.” (Prov. 14:8).

3. Hands that Shed Innocent Blood

This seems evident that God would hate murder. After all, when one person murders another, they are taking the life of that person made in the image of God. Abortion is murder. There should be no debate about this. Yet there is. In 1919, Congress passed the 19^th amendment that allowed women the right to vote. This topic has not been hotly debated in 100 years. This topic does not receive publicity. There are no longer debates regarding the legitimacy of this. Abortion, on the other hand, continues to receive much attention. We live in a fallen world that allows doctors to murder unborn babies. Those that believe the baby is a precious life made in the image of God fight for the rights of those unborn children. Those that believe it is “their body their choice” fight for the right to murder the unborn baby. God hates the shedding of innocent blood. Babies are the most innocent that there is. They cannot even put up a fight.  We must also remember the words of John in I John 3:15 “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer…” It is not just the physical act of murder that God calls an abomination, it is also what we harbor in our hearts toward others that can be called murder.

4. A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans

Do you ever wonder what is in your heart? Look first at how you respond to all the circumstances that happen in your life. If your response to every circumstance honors the Lord, you have a heart that honors the Lord. Our hearts in Scripture could also be called our desires. What is it you desire? What is it you want? When you lay awake at night and cannot sleep or you have a moment when your brain is not busy with work or whatever else may require brainpower, what do you find yourself thinking on? Are you dwelling on those things that glorify God like how to serve and love others? Or are you busy dwelling on how you can satisfy your selfish desires? If you are devising, scheming, or planning ways to satisfy your selfish desires, these are wicked plans. If you have to sin in order to accomplish the wicked plans your heart has devised, then you know that what you are planning is an abomination to God. Will your desires hurt someone else or will they glorify God? Take some time to consider what it is that you want. We do what we do, because we want what we want.

5. Feet that Make Haste to Run to Evil

It is one thing to have a heart that devises wicked plans, but it heaps on our sin when we also carry out those wicked plans. These people are so eager to satisfy their desires they are hastily running to do evil.  We see this in our streets today. In so many big cities, we see people with feet that are quickly running to ransack buildings, cars, and people’s livelihood.  There is no respect of others or their possessions. We have allowed there to be mayhem and chaos. Sin does not produce peace, rather sin produces chaos and disorder. Two of our daughters are teachers. When there is peace in the classroom, it is because everyone is following the rules of the classroom. When there is chaos in the classroom, it is because the students that are creating the chaos are quickly running to evil. What surrounds your life? Peace and calm or chaos and drama? What is your heart devising that your feet are hastily running toward? Is it peace that brings glory to God or satisfaction of your selfish desires that is deceitful and brings chaos?

6. A False Witness Who Breathes Out Lies

In the same list of seven things that God hates or are an abomination to Him, two of these mentioned include lying. Jesus calls Himself the ‘’Truth” in John 14:6. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” The Word “truth” is used over 200 times in the Bible. Lying is an affront to the character of God since one of the names of Jesus is “truth.” Jesus calls Himself the “Truth” and the person mentioned here that God says is an abomination is a false witness. These are diametrically opposed to each other.  Satan is the Father of Lies. (John 8:44). As was mentioned earlier, someone who lies will make us feel uneasy or confused because we are never sure that what they are saying is believable. God, on the other hand, and His Word are the truth. Anything that contradicts God’s Word and makes us feel uneasy needs to be thoroughly investigated. Remember, “…the folly of fools is deceiving.” (Prov. 14:8).

7. One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers

Pride, a lying tongue, a murderer, a heart that devises wicked plans, and feet that make haste to run to evil will bring about discord. A person that possesses any of the previously mentioned six qualities will bring about discord, a disruption of peace. Relationships are valuable. God created us to have relationship with Him. He created mankind to have relationship with each other. After God created man, He created woman. “Then the Lord God said, ‘it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Gen 2:18). God created us in His design for relationship. Discord in relationship began to happen because of sin. We saw this first with Adam and Eve and the blame game that happened. We can cause discord in our relationships when we possess the first six qualities mentioned in this list. Others can cause chaos in our relationships when they sow discord. Have you had a disruption in a relationship? Maybe the relationship is not what it once was. Sometimes it is our pride or lying tongues that cause a break in the relationship. Other times, it can be others that sow discord by telling lies or creating drama/chaos in another relationship. Someone else can drive a wedge in another’s relationship with someone out of jealousy or desire to control a relationship.

In Hebrew literature, the seventh thing is the culmination. Discord, strife, conflict in relationships are generally caused by the first six things on this list. Do you have a relationship that has strife or discord? Or a relationship that is not what it once was? The first thing you must do is evaluate the cause. Did you cause it? Did the other person cause it? Did a third party cause it? God does not care who caused the disruption in the relationship. He tells us that no matter who caused the disruption, we should seek to mend it. “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Mt. 5:23, 24) It is always your turn to seek to mend a relationship.

God sent His Son Jesus to reconcile us to Himself. (Col.1:19, 20). God highly values reconciliation. If there is discord, strife, or conflict between you and someone else, do not let your pride get in the way. Go and be reconciled. Jesus gave His life. That is how highly God values reconciliation.