There is a paragraph in Proverbs which every person should know. Listen to God as He tries to get our attention and says, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him” (Prov. 6:16). We must never overlook what follows these words, for we must flee from all that God finds detestable. When we stand before God, we must not stand with anything that is an abomination to Him.
#1. God hates “a proud look.” It may not be by accident that this is listed first. It is the opposite of humility which is found in the heart of the one who humbles himself before God. Humility leads one to God, but pride does just the opposite.
#2. God hates “a lying tongue.” Our God cannot lie, and He by His holy nature wants us to always speak the truth. This must be very important for it is listed in another form in the sixth attitude God hates.
#3. God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” Our nation is shocked by the brutal killing of children in Ukraine, yet legally permits the slaughter of children in the womb. God abhors both of these.
#4. God hates “a heart that devises wicked plans.” There are sins which come into our lives because of weakness which suddenly comes into our lives. There are sins which men lie awake at night and scheme how to do evil. God makes a difference between these. The difference is mercy and justice.
#5. God hates “feet that are swift in running to evil.” Those who plan evil do far more than make plans. They can hardly wait to carry them out. And they run to do evil!
#6. God hates “a false witness who speaks lies.” This obviously involves lying which has already been mentioned, but in our day, think of how it applies to false teachers who claim they speak for God but lie.
#7. God hates “one who sows discord among brethren.” Our God is one (Deut. 6:4) and longs for His people to be one. However, think of how serious it is when one stirs up trouble in a local congregation and creates a situation where the faith of so many is weakened. There were those individuals in Corinth who sowed discord over teachers like Paul, Apollos and Cephas. He refers to the church as God’s temple and says, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him” (1 Cor. 3:17). Religious folks can create such havoc!
Think about this list and imagine standing before His judgment throne having paid no attention to this list. We need to know the list, but we must do all we can to destroy sinful actions from our lives. He is holy. God help us to be like Him.