THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE, YEA……. Proverbs 6 verses 16 - 19

INTRODUCTION

Ooh la la, can you believe it my people we are already in the month of May. The month of double grace pour moi! It seems like the year just started yesterday, as, I have said on a number of occasion anything your heart gives you to do (under God of course) do it with all your might.  The time is indeed winding down fast.  Ooh la la can you believe what has happened over there in France.  The young French President and his even younger wife. Ladies, I keep telling you be anxious for nothing but with prayer and supplications make your request known to God. Things are also happening spiritually; the new president is pro-European union.  For those of you who don’t read the Bible don’t worry your heads, it is a bit involved.  Romans 8 verse 19 comes to mind "all of creation is groaning and waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God" and all we can be talking about is tithing, who is for and who is against, Lord help my Holy Ghost. The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.

Moving right along, I promised you in my last Blog to expound on the book I had mentioned in the last section, Mario Puzo’s, The Godfather. How I came to read the book, I think it was like the case of Mr. Salman Rushdie who had to run for his life because he had revealed family secrets.  I don’t think Mr. Puzo had to run for his life but, there was a furor when the book was published. Since I have always been a rebel without a cause I decided to see what was happening. It simply just spoke to the operations of the Sicilian Mafia, the advent of organized crime and their strict code of conduct, you deviate from the code at the risk of losing your life. You hear terminologies such as the ‘long arms of the mafia’ because, once there is a contract out on your life you are as good as dead irrespective of where in the world you run to.  Terms like ‘sleeping with the fishes’ your feet are cemented together in a container and you are thrown into the river.  They don’t take any chance with the mill stone been loosened.  They have strict codes of operations, they don’t kill you in front of your family unless they want to make a particularly brutal statement.  They don’t kill in church. I wonder where they got that from. In the book of  I Kings Joab and Adonijah ran for the temple and held onto the horn of the altar seeking mercy. Joab died and Adonijah was spared.  The mafia knows that sooner or later you will have to come out. These guys did their business and then did their confessions. Now you see why the Vatican is a city within a city and so powerful. I picked up a Toronto Star and on the front cover was a mafia story. Here is the link ”"Hit on Mobster was 'Symbolic' Experts Believe"

 The movie was superb with Marlon Brando as The Godfather, Don Corleone, these words keep coming back to me “Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in.” I am saying unlike Don Corleone I have no intention of being pulled in any place I am not willing to go. The Lord is indeed omniscient He knows the end from the beginning prepared long in advance for the situations you will encounter. For I know Raphleta says the Lord.

Another fantastic movie I have watched recently, as you know people, my most favourite movie of all times is the “Sound of Music” boy meets girl a few challenges then they get married and lived happily ever after with a lot of singing. Right up there with “My Fair Lady” The rain in Spain falls only on the plains, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where is the pepper that Peter Piper picked? etc, etc. You can blame Wycliffe Bennet (Benet) for that part of my education, Caribbean Mass Communication (CARIMAC) Voice and Speech, right up there with the beauty queens and Radio Announcers. .The moral to the story “wey nuh ded nuh dash wey” (You should not give up on anybody or anything).  The fantastic movie though is Ben Hur Mamma Mia (What can I say, I am like the First Lady of the United States I am familiar with many languages, War Comics and Mills and Boone, were my source, another time I tell you those stories). Lovely people, this time during my visitation I was given the opportunity to watch what I wanted. I chose to watch Ben Hur, I said to myself finally Hollywood is trying to get the script right.  They are not quite there yet but, the movie looked more authentic to the period and the continent. Ooh la la, Morgan Freeman was just regal, all I saw was Jethro to Ben Hur’s Moses, such stature. Of course, you also realized that the Rastafarians did not invent locs they just made it popular.

REFLECTIONS

We now go to the topic, the last of my series which I call the little foxes that spoils the vines. I have a whole list of Blog topics that I need to get to.  I have already started writing June’s Blog in my mind.  I am excited my Spirit is ignited I walk in favour with God and man.  Please stop praying amiss I have my assignment far ahead so I am not going to die anytime soon.  Sorry about that, you can now start praying that I will fulfill my destiny. I know you will love June’s Blog.

I really did not even choose this month’s topic it chose me.  As I go through Christendom there are certain behaviours that I am observing. Irrespective of the continent, One man of God put it this way it might catch you unaware the first time, the second time through acquired wisdom you should be able to spot the devil miles in the distance. If I wrote a journal I would be able to stick my notes in  saying, Daddy did you see that? But Daddy that is sheep abuse? Daddy, You have to do something! Just giving you a glimpse into my stolen journals. There, writing to my heart’s content and did not even realize that my journals were like the Diaries of Annie Frank, widely read and I was not benefiting from my intellectual property.

This scripture in Proverbs just kept resonating in my Spirit and then an incident happened and I said you are going to do a Blog.  When the old folks in church who resembles the decorations do things you just look to the book of Numbers and say God is waiting for them to die so he can use the young ones.  But when they start teaching the young ones their bad habits that is when I say devil enough is enough.

Hence, my Blog title These six things doth the Lord hates, yea the seventh is an abomination unto Him. Proverbs 6 verses 16 – 19.

¹⁶ These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸ An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹ A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

 

CRITICAL DEFINITIONS

Hate – One of the meaning is to have a strong aversion to (something).

Abomination- A thing that causes disgust or hatred. An abomination in English is that which is exceptionally loathsome, hateful, sinful, wicked, or vile.

 As nouns the difference between hate and abomination is that hate is an object of hatred while abomination is an abominable act; a disgusting vice; a despicable habit.

THESE SEVEN THINGS

·         While these aren’t the total package of sins that should be avoided, they do sum up most of the wicked things condemned by God. The seven things God hates are the sins that deal with the deep heart motives of the individual. The writer of Proverbs points the finger straight at our hearts and our sinful thought processes.

In keeping with our Lord Jesus Christ’s elaboration of the Ten Commandments during His Sermon on the Mount )St. Matthew 5 vs 21 - 48. Sin is committed the moment it is conceived in the heart, even before it is committed. The avoidance of  these seven things God hates will help us expose our hidden intentions and motives.

Proverbs’ list of seven things God finds abominable:

1          Proud (haughty) look: This describes a feeling of pride and looking down upon others (Philippians 2:3, 5–11). When we begin to think of ourselves more highly and with unparalleled importance, we are forgetting the fact that anything good in us is the result of Christ living in us and that the old self is now dead (Galatians 2:20). Often, believers feel superior to other believers when they receive godly wisdom and display amazing tenacity against sin. We fail to realize these gifts were given by God through Christ and fanned into flame by the Holy Spirit and are not due to our own goodness. This sin of pride is so detested by the LORD that Paul was kept from committing this sin by being provided with “a thorn in the flesh” to humble him (2 Corinthians 12:7). Manifestation of this sin:

• Rolling the eyes in response to something said to them,
• Looking down on someone younger, different, or less intelligent
• Setting oneself up as the judge of others
• Thinking you are wiser than your parents and other elders
• Criticizing parents and other authorities
• Arguing with parents
• Disobeying and openly rebelling against authorities
• Ingratitude
• Boasting about one’s accomplishments, status, or knowledge
• Disrespect

2          Lying tongue: A lying tongue is one that speaks falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others. Lying can be used to impugn the character of a brother or to flatter a friend. It is a most detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth. Nothing we do causes us to more closely resemble the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).

Manifestation of this sin:

• Withholding information that others need to have
• Not telling the truth about a wrongdoing
• Hypocritical words
• Flattering to gain something from someone
• Exaggerating the facts
• Implying that something is true, or purposely leading someone to an incorrect assumption
• Telling partial truths
• Not honoring parents’ rules when they are absent
• Not offering evidence against a wrongdoer when necessary
• Committing to doing something with no real intention of following through
• Making excuses
• Blaming others for own sinful actions

3          Hands that shed innocent blood: This refers to cold-blooded murder. We may never have orchestrated killing someone or never have touched a gun or knife, but in Matthew 5:21–24, Jesus says that anyone hating someone else unreasonably without offering room for forgiveness commits a sin equivalent to murder. John reiterates this concept in 1 John 3:15.
Manifestation of this sin:

·         Bullying

·         Hitting, biting, kicking, hurting others

·         Striking parents

·         Carelessly abusing or killing for amusement or nebulous reasons

4          An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations: This encompasses thinking or conceiving evil against any individual or group for personal benefit or other misguided objectives, similar to modern-day terrorists actions. Any sin is basically a wicked scheme. David’s sin against Uriah the Hittite and Bathsheba comes to mind (2 Samuel 11). The heart of an evil man continually contrives schemes to bring others to ruin, whether physically or spiritually.
Manifestation of this sin:

·         Plotting revenge

·         Snubbing someone

·         Conspiring to deceive or hurt someone

·         Lying about a long series of actions to cover sin

5          Feet that be swift in running to mischief: Those whose feet are quick to rush into evil display no resistance whatsoever to sin. There are many examples in the Bible, and having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 5:16), we are expected to be wise in this regard (Romans 6:11–14; Ephesians 5:5, 11). In the Garden of Eden, Eve had the first experience of temptation. She displayed no resistance to the serpent’s temptation. Instead, as soon as the devil attracted her to the fruit, she “saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6). Eve had sinned at that moment itself. In contrast the attitude of Jesus: when tired and hungry after forty days and forty nights of fasting, He refused to yield to the devil’s tempting and killed the temptation in His mind without allowing it to grow into sin (Matthew 4:1–11). “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Manifestation of this sin:

·         Joining with others to do wrong when the authority is not present

·         Delighting in doing wrong

6          False witness that speaketh lies: This is similar to the sin of the lying tongue mentioned earlier, but this form of lying is given special mention as it could send an innocent person to jail or even lead to him being stoned to death as happened to Naboth, thanks to false witnesses instigated by the wicked Jezebel (1 Kings 21:8–14). The prohibition against bearing false witness is the ninth of the Ten Commandments, and the New Testament is equally condemning of it. Colossians 3:9–10 explains the reason for the continued prohibition against lying. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and, as such, we reflect His nature. We have been released from our “old self” with its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness.
Manifestation of this sin:

·         Falsely accusing someone of misbehavior and sin

·         Misrepresenting a disagreement between people

·         Falsely describing the actions of another person in a way that implies his guilt

·         Not offering evidence against someone when asked to give testimony

·         Covering for someone who has committed a wrongdoing

7          He that soweth discord among brethren: Brothers are created by God to live in unity (Psalm 133:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:9). Believers are brothers and sisters since they have one Father God and one Brother, Jesus Christ. The Church is also the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–27). In many situations strife among brothers and even within the church seems unavoidable, but anyone who purposely causes disruption to peace in the body of Christ will displease God above all, since that person gives room for others to sin (very important) and for himself to sin further (1 John 2:9–11; 4:19–21). Moreover, Jesus pronounced a great blessing on peacemakers, the privilege to be called “sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Manifestation of this sin:

• Teasing
• Listening to gossip and repeating gossip
• Slandering, repeating truths that will harm another person’s reputation
• Leading others to imagine the worst about someone
• Stirring up disagreements and jealousies
• Arousing suspicions against someone
• Meddling in the disagreements of others
• Taking sides in disagreements
• Envying the success and blessing of others

CONCLUSION

In concluding, as I have stated previously this is the final in my series of the little foxes that spoil the vines.  As previously mentioned, these sins speaks to the heart condition and reflects the things that were stated in the Sermon on the Mount by our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can understand why the seventh is an abomination because this anarchy took place in heaven by Lucifer himself and divided the angelic host.  When it is manifested in the body of Christ it is still very demonic, diabolic and leads to all kinds of evil work.

The Bible says in the book of 2 Corinthians 5 verses 16-17 we are to know no man after the flesh.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

For such reason, God did not leave the salvation plan to man because those who should be saved would be damned and vice versa. The thief on the cross was forgiven instantly. People please stop making salvation complex.  It is not!! What we need to be working on is the conversion process so we can all become mature in Christ. Scriptures like Proverbs 6 verse 16-19 point the way. The day we start thinking of the other person more highly than ourselves the transformation in the body of Christ will be miraculous.

 Philippians 2:3King James Version (KJV)

³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Je t'aime!!

Once again, this is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to you from up here in the true north.

À bientôt!

REFERENCES
Got Questions.org
The Doorposts Blog