"There are six things the LORD hates- no, seven things He detests." Proverbs 6:16
The name Lord followed by the word hate stunned me. It is hard to believe the loving, merciful, benevolent, and graceful God I call Savior could hate anything. Digging deeper to find the original meaning of hate, longing to find a little sensitivity, I discovered the word means hate. The Lord has a passionate and intense dislike to six things, no there are seven things he detests. The ESV uses the word admonition meaning a disgusting thing.
Investigating the seven things:
- Haughty eyes ~ Eyes that are snobbish, prideful or scornfully arrogant.
- Lying Tongue ~ A mouth that contains untruthfulness and deceptive
- Hands that kill the innocent ~ Hands that steal life
- Feet that race to do wrong ~ One who seeks to do wrong before right
- A heart that plots evil ~ A heart that plans and schemes with intent to harm
- A false witness ~ One who lies about another
- A person who sows family discord ~ One who purposefully "stirs the pot" so harmony can not be enjoyed.
- Humble and meek eyes full of compassion
- A truthful tongue with words to encourage
- Hands that love and nurture life
- Feet that race to do good
- A heart that longs to practice kindness
- A mouth that would not bear false witness
- A person who sows harmony in my family instead of discord
13 Comments:
Oh, my. I too have done those things. It amazes me the compassion and patience our Lord has for us! Praise Him that He does. I am writing down how you re-wrote all those and sticking them on my fridge. Thanks a bunch!
The Word of God is indeed active...cutting to the joints and marrow! These scriptures, though a bit hard to digest, really cause us to search our hearts and ask the Lord to purify them.
As my husband says, "Good Stuff"!
Ouch! It is hard to read those things knowing that I have done the things the Lord hates. May I have a repentant heart, Oh God, and thank You for your mercies that are new every morning when I fall short.
I was drawn Wendy to the way you stated "hands that kill the innocent." God hates the "hands that steal life. Not just physical life, but any time someone kills our innocence and causes the death of emotions and purity and our souls. PTL for His healing power in our lives when others have stolen the innocence from us!
Lori, I need your advice on some things and I was wondering if I could chat with you through email. If you click on my name and go to the "Open the Door" blog there is an email address for prayer requests. It is not the one I use all the time, just one I felt comfortable posting publicly on that blog. If you are comfortable would you email me so I can email you back? I am having a tough time with some things right now and needing some direction. Thanks!
Hope you all have a great day!
In His Love,
Brandee
Wendy, I love how you took the negatives and exchanged them for the positives...seven things that will please the Lord!!!!
"My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you've learned." Proverbs 5:1-2
"...and your lips will express what you've learned." That phrase caught my attention this morning. So often my lips fail me. I've learned quite a lot over the past almost 47 years, yet the words that escape often times are not a reflection of wise learning. Some teachers have imparted lasting lessons that need to be embraced. Others, who I trusted, passed on knowledge and understanding that corroded my perceptions, damaging my thinking.
Careless, thoughtless, hurting, incorrect, idle words too often come flowing unbridled when wisdom is not heeded. Frequently my conscience gives the warning from the understanding imparted in my heart, yet I don't allow it to direct my path.
That's where wisdom comes in. The ability to discern the what, when, where, how and why of opening my mouth. Words based on fact, not feeling. Wisdom provides the skills to sift and place a guard on my lips. It's from the overflow in my heart that my mouth speaks. My word problem is a heart issue.
Lord, I pray for that discernment. Teach me discretion in what I hear, repeat and believe. May the voice I find, both spoken and written, be grounded in reality and actuality. May I accurately convey truth, without being swept up in a current of hearsay. Place a filter in my mind and on my heart to guard the thoughts that form the words that flow from my mouth.
May any expression today be prompted by You alone,
Joy
Wendy,
I marked just the verses you discussed today! Hate is a strong word, and the thought of God "hating" the seven things...this conveys a view that we need to think more seriously about his response to our actions! The one thing that tugged at me was, "a person who sows family discord."
Help me pray daily to seek harmony within my extended family. Even when I am not the one talking, but "the one listening" to what others say...this is just as bad.
To work hard to build members up in love. To pray over them. To seek harmony in all relationships.
Help me Lord, to imitate your hatred of these things You detest. Help me seek your wisdom daily to grow more like You everyday.
Yes, I'll agree with your husband, Joy in the Truth, ~ "Good Stuff!"
:)
Have a blessed day dear friends!
Lori - AZ
PS Joy, I'm just delighted that you got sidetracked yesterday!
Just what God ordered: "Not just little chuckles, but roll-on-the floor, smile-'til-your-cheeks-hurt, healing laughter" kind of day!
Amen Lori, to everything you said! Including the "good for you Joy" PS!
I too underlined verses 16-19 today, and also Proverbs 7:4
"Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family"
One of my challenges is the way I "snap" to judgment, thinking I know everything about the situation or person and responding based on my limited knowledge. I have been praying regularly to eliminate that tendency from me. When I prepare to meet with a "sandpaper person"(in the words of Mary Southerland) during my day, I am now taking the time to pray first. My prayer usually goes something like this:
"Lord, give me insight into the whole situation. Give me eyes to see (this person) as you see them. Give me wise counsel for this situation, and fill me with your spirit of compassion, kindness, gentleness and forgiveness. Remove from me my need to be right and my need to control all things. In Your name I pray..."
I have found that when I take the time to pray this prayer, the interactions are SO much better and the "sandpaper person" does not get to me. I'm also finding that God is faithful and does open my heart to hear His direction in the situation, even while He puts His hand over my mouth so words that tear down rather than building up don't spew forth!
I hope you all have a wonderful day! And Joy, may God bring you more rest, joy and laughter to strengthen you and renew your hope.
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
Karen, CA
Joy
I love your prayer. Can I use it and quote you? It is beautifully written.
I enjoyed reading all your comments this morning ladies. Sounds like we all fall short of God's expectations. I also have a repentative heart being convicted as well this morning. Praise God for his forgiveness when we fall short.
Joy... love those kind of laughs, they seem to come few and far between. My husband laughs out loud all the time and if he is down stairs his laughter beckons me to him to find out just what is so funny. A much needed release of endorphins I gather!
Here is another scripture that leads us to hope, peace and joy...
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffereings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us." Romans 5:1-5
The foot note says we rejoice "not because" of our sufferings but in the midst of them because we know there is a purpose for them and our hope is in the Lord. Once again He has the whole picture, let go and rest in knowing that.
Keep looking for the positives. Thank-you Wendy for posting in the positive the things God detests in us. They will help to keep our paths straight! I think I'll put them up on my fridge too! Great idea,
More and more my heart wants to pray for God's wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and an understanding heart! They are truly the riches we need to be seeking. Amen!
I'm off to help a friend paint today! Have a great day...may each seek the positives no matter what we are faced with this day...
Asking what is God trying to teach me or produce in me with this situation or circumstance?
Love from Debbie in Illinois
Okay I had to go back to yesterday's postings to get in the know of the "laughing til your cheeks hurt" that Joy posted. That is the BEST kind of laughing! I work with a bunch of sillies and we laugh like that alot! It is a healing balm on many days.
Yes, the 7 "hates" of God were very convicting. Guilty as charged.
I also noticed the amount of time that was spent warning people about sexual sin....it is rampant in today's world. How did we get so lax in our morals on sexuality? The verses that told of the beauty in the man loving his wife warmed my heart and reassured me that I'm not old fashioned in my thinking. Please help keep me strong in my beliefs Lord. AMEN
Morgen
Just letting you all know that I am so enjoying each one of you this week. I am not posting much, but please know that reading this blog is one of the highlights of each day. I love when God not only speaks through His word, but through others too.
I would love to be added to any prayer lists. The big D's of doubt and discouragement are visiting this week, and they don't seem to moving on, in spite of my minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour attempts at standing on God's truth. I know that they will eventually move on, but sometimes I just wish I had an extra ounce of strength to move them for good.
Trusting in His strength! Thanks to everyone!!
Debbie I just want you to know that the verses from Romans ministered to my heart today. They were an answer to a prayer. There is a purpose in our trials and God's glory WILL be shown! Amen!
God Bless~
Kristen,
You are in my prayers. I am participating in a bible study at my church and we are studying Angela Thomas' "Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering: A Bible Study Based on the Sermon on the Mount."
One of the images she used when covering the verse "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6) was that of a glass and a pitcher of water. We come before God as an empty glass and when we rest in His presence, He pours His refreshing, restoring, living water into us and fills us. Life's challenges (including the big Ds) cause us to sip, drink or gulp from that glass. As it becomes empty again, we need to go back and rest in His presence again to be refilled, renewed, and restored.
I pray you will be filled.
Karen, CA
Wendy, thank you for your kind words, and yes, if you wish, you may quote me :o)
Oh my goodness, Kristen, I have so often been in the valley of doubt and despair unable to climb out.
Your friends are holding up the shield of faith around you that quenches all fiery darts, including Satan's twin darts of doubt and discouragement. Praying you through.
Hugs,
Joy
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