“There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him.” (Proverbs 6:16-19, NASB)

If you love God, then you must love the things He loves and also hate the things He hates. Yes, God can hate, too. Here is what it says in today’s passage:

“There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”

When you love someone or something, there must be an equal or greater amount of hate toward the very opposite. If you love good, then you must hate evil just the same. When you talk about the God of love, you must also talk about what He hates. Notice that these seven things are tied to human body parts: eyes, tongue, hands, feet, and heart. However, it is not that our body parts are doing these things that God hates on their own, but they obey what our inner self tells them to do. Jesus said, “And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Mt.5:29). However, even if you can tear out your eye, you will still sin because sin is still alive in you. Next time, it will be your hand, feet, and tongue. You will end up with no body parts but still a sinner. Jesus’s intention was not for us to physically remove parts of our bodies, but rather to cultivate a heart that loves God and is prepared to separate from anything He disapproves of. In other words, these are symptoms that indicate something is wrong in our hearts. If you want to truly love God with your body, then it must begin in your heart.

Here are seven things that God hates. First, “haughty eyes” shows that our hearts are proud and arrogant, and we see everyone beneath us. Instead, we need to adapt humility before God and others.

Second, “a lying tongue” refers to speaking anything that is not true, whether about us, others, or circumstances. God is the God of truth, and He hates all lies. If you have a tongue that lies habitually, then it betrays what God stands for. And since Satan is the “father of all lies” (Jn.8:44), you are honoring him when you choose a lifestyle of habitually lying.

Third, “hands that shed innocent blood” speaks of wrongful attack on those who have done no wrong. It does not mean they are without any wrongs, but that they are innocent of the charges against them. Today, this is not something people do habitually. However, if what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount applies, then we are all in big trouble. He said, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Mt.5:22). In other words, we can be guilty of innocent blood through lies, gossip, bullying, prejudice, and hating.

Fourth, “a heart that devises wicked plans” speaks of using our creativity, imagination, and intelligence to plan out wicked things. God gifted us with these things for good, but we will be guilty of using them to creatively sin against Him.

Fifth, “feet that run rapidly to evil” speaks of how we become more excited about sinful things than about godly things. If we truly love God, we should be running toward what God loves rather than what He hates.

Sixth, “false witness that utters lies” speaks more of an official situation rather than mere lying. By bearing false witness, you can harm or ruin someone permanently.

Seventh, “one who spreads strife among brothers” speaks of someone who is always breaking fellowship through spreading strife. They create division instead of unity, fighting instead of loving, separation instead of togetherness, doubt instead of assurance, gossip instead of wisdom. If you love God, then you must love the things He loves and, at the same time, hate the things He hates. These are the seven areas to start with.

• How do you think God can love and hate at the same time?
• In what ways does understanding what God dislikes inspire you to pursue the virtues He loves?