No Guesswork Here
Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Joy comes from an Italian family. Not just some Italian, one hundred percent Italian. Her grandparents immigrated to America through Ellis Island and lived in an Italian section of the Bronx. So you can imagine that she knows something about cooking Italian food. It’s in her blood, and she’s good at it. Except she doesn’t like to cook that much. I always thought she did, so I realized that I had assumed wrong about Joy and what she liked and did not like.
In our verses for today, God makes it very plain on what He does not like. The Scriptures list six, no, make that seven things God hates. Not God dislikes or does not prefer,hates. I won’t go into detail, but knowing these things takes the guesswork out of what is displeasing to God.
A proud look. Some translations read haughty eyes. Bottom line, you get proud looks and haughty eyes from a proud heart. And God has a thing about pride. He hates it, and the book of James says He resists pride.
A lying tongue. Satan is referred to as the father of lies. God is truth, and there is nothing in Him that is false or insincere or a part of anything having to do with lying. Satan is a liar, and God is not.
Hands that shed innocent blood. God hates for the innocent to be killed. There is warfare, but enemy combatants are a different story. I am sure that murder falls under the category of innocent blood being shed.
A heart that devises wicked plans. This sounds like premeditated acts of evil. Evil that was conceived and then carried out. God hates this. God is good and does good. Wickedness is not from Him, nor is it something He looks past. He hates it.
Feet that are swift in running to evil. Again, the sense of premeditated evil and a readiness to carry that evil out is not something that sits well with the Lord. Some people fall or walk into evil. This is the person who runs to it. Not good.
A false witness that speaks lies. The lying tongue infers this is the person who lies about himself and situations. The false witness is the one who lies about other people—lying made the list twice.
And finally, the one who sows discord among brethren. The person who causes splits in relationships. Those relationships can be family, friends, groups with common interests, and the church. Sowing trouble to disrupt is not God’s plan or something He likes.
So there are the seven things that we must avoid. If God hates them, we want no part of them. We don’t hate the person but the actions. These seven things hurt others and do not reflect the Lord or His kingdom.