There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
Summary: You can learn a lot about who the bad guys are by reading through Proverbs. It is almost like there is going to be a test at some point. Oh wait — there is! It is called “real life.”
When I was in school, I remember midterms and finals always held a certain amount of terror for me. I was not what you would call a “good student.” Oh, I could do the work if I put my mind to it, but I was easily distracted. It is the curse of having a creative mind.
Whenever test time came around, I was usually less than completely confident in my mastery of the topic. Instructors typically give a review before the test, and I leaned on these hard. I was especially attentive and paid close attention those days.
Solomon (and God) wants us to understand this point about troublemakers. They don’t want us to fail the test. So Solomon reviews what he just told us. What are the “six things the Lord hates?” What are the seven detestable things? Here is our review list:
1. haughty eyes, 2. a lying tongue, 3. hands that shed innocent blood, 4. a heart that devises wicked schemes, 5. feet that are quick to rush into evil, 6. a false witness who pours out lies 7. and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
It is a frightening list, isn’t it? Especially the part about shedding blood. Yet, lies are almost as deadly. A person’s career and sometimes their life can be maimed or destroyed by lies.
The “haughty eyes” is one that really speaks volumes. Arrogance is the opposite of the humble heart that the Lord wants to see in us (Micah 6:8). Humility is hard to fake, especially if someone has none. That makes “haughty eyes” hard to hide.
A false witness is someone who lies under oath. How would you like to be accused of a crime that you did not commit, and have two or more people claim you did it while they were under oath?
These are serious things. All of them are offensive to God.
Why do we study these? Matthew 7:5 says, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” We need a checklist to check our own motives and actions. If anyone is going to aspire to be an overseer in the church — and such people are sorely needed — this is how they learn. For the rest of us, this is one of the many tools in Scripture that helps us understand the person God wants us to be, or in this case, not to be.
Application: Scripture provides many insights about the differences between good and bad so that we can learn the difference.
Food for Thought: As Christians, how do we respond to people who “stir[s] up conflict in the community”?
That review list has me looking in the mirror and I’m ashamed of my life before I knew Jesus. After being in a relationship with my Lord and serving Him, I still feel like some of that list can describe me in some way because of my thoughts.
As Christians, how do we respond to people who “stir[s] up conflict in the community”? It depends on the Christian and the conflict in the community. 1 Timothy 1:18, 2 Timothy 1:14 we should have courage to stand up and preach the truth. That we should be bold about protecting and applying what we have learned from Gods word. And that we should know that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength we need to fight this war against deceit, slander, lies and accusations.
Its # 5 on the list that really describes me. Because I will always run towards gunfire.
Tim,
I, too, am ashamed of my life before knowing Jesus. There were so many things I did not understand. Our Lord is patient, loving and kind. He keeps calling to use and draws us near. When we are ready, he is always ready with what we need and are able to accept. We are incredibly blessed, you and I!
T – remember that the shame we feel from our past (I do this too) is never from God. Once we repent of our past He forgives and moves on. Satan is the accuser (Zechariah 3: 1; Revelation 12: 10). God is the healer and purifier (1 John 1: 9). You are a new creation and you are a huge blessing to me and many others. Rarely a day goes by when I don’t want to clone you. Your service, heart and sacrificial love for others is very refreshing. You glorify the Lord and make others lives better as you shine His light. I know He gets all the glory but what I just said about you is truth. And I know you don’t like the spotlight on the good that you do for others. So forgive me for that 😊. I thought truthful perspective was needed.
Thank you, Rich.
I appreciate the reminder of this truth. 🙂
Thank you pastor R I really needed to hear the Good works that God does when I serve Him.
Forgot to add prayer first. Then everything else we with love.
Pray for them!
Amen, Phill!
One of the many blessings of knowing our Lord Jesus. We are able to take our concerns for ourselves and those around us to him personally. What wonderful peace comes to us when we do!
As Christians, how do we respond to people who “stir[s] up conflict in the community”?
A few verses come to mind, and truthfully the ones I think about many times throughout the day:
Keep your clear head – James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Keep your clear perspective – Ephesians 5:15-17 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Keep praying – Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Keep your peace – Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Keep your faith – Colossians 4:6 “Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith.”
Chris,
Thank you for sharing. This is a Gold Star list of verses for daily living!
Drenched with grace!! I love that one
03-15-2022, Proverbs 6:16, As Christians, how do we respond to people who “stir[s] up conflict in the community”?
As Phillip says, Pray for them!
OUR EXAMPLE:
In Humble Obedience to God, Jesus became the door to salvation for all the world, including for His enemies. He cared for His mother, He prayed for the forgiveness of the people who were crucifying Him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. He forgave the thief on the cross hanging next to Him who had earlier hurled insults at Him, yet repented in his last moments.
John 19:25-27, Luke 23:34, 39-43,
As Jesus hung on the cross, He didn’t counter His accusers with insults, cursing, or retaliation. With only the above exceptions, the all powerful, sovereign Son of God, submitted in silence, as an example for all His people to follow. He endured excruciating agony until all God had foretold was fulfilled, and then, with a cry of victory “It is finished!” gave up His Spirit. He did not use His power to inflict pain on His abusers.
John 19:28-30
Ron,
Thank you! I appreciate the examples from Christ’s life. His humility and power are used in ways that can be hard to follow because he perfectly understands the will of our Father. It can take us a while to get there, or at least start to get there.
Well I am very late to this party. Great responses and Scriptures.
As has already been mentioned in one way or another: We pray for them, love them by confronting and disciplining them, and we protect others from their poison.
Wow. I hit T instead of R. Sorry T. The R is right next to the T. This was R’s comment and not T. Now I know how to impersonate T.
Hmmm…
R, R U T-zing Us?
🙂
Rich,
One thought on protecting others from “their poison”:
Even if all we do is verbalize the issue, that is what is being done in opposition to Scripture, then (A) the other sheep become aware of what is going on and (B) the troublemaker is aware that what they are doing is known. This protects the sheep and at the same time challenges the troublemaker to acknowledge the wrong and repent. A troublemaker with a repentant heart will repent (James 5: 19-20) and the wrong can be righted. A troublemaker with a hardened heart will eventually leave if every effort at making trouble is rebuffed with the truth.
It seems to me that every spot of trouble, when approached this way, becomes a teaching moment.
I went to read yesterday’s comments and I was impressed by ALL the great comments.