“The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.” (Proverbs 11:20-21, NASB)

I have titled today’s devotional: What God detests and what He delights in. It reminded me that God has feelings too, and we should seek to read the Bible with our feelings, not just our heads. It reminded me that the God of the Bible is a real being with thoughts, choices, feelings, and He acts accordingly. He is not some cold and distant figure somewhere up there in the sky, but a personal and relational being who cares about what we do and what happens to us. Above all, He is a just and moral being who finds joy in righteousness, justice, goodness, love, and peace, and His laws and judgments reflect these qualities perfectly. Today’s passage perfectly sums this up about God. It says,

“The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight. Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.”

We see a sharp contrast here: what God finds absolutely detestable versus what brings Him great joy. The word “perverse” in Hebrew is “ik-kashe,” which means “perverse, crooked, or twisted.” It describes something that has been warped or twisted out of its original shape. When used in a biblical context, as in today’s reading, it speaks of something twisted from God’s intended purpose. The book of Proverbs illustrates some areas where we tend to twist things out of shape: our paths or choices (Prov.2:15), our speech (Prov.8:8), our integrity or lifestyles (Prov.11:20), and our honesty (Prov.28:6).

Imagine that you have a compass in your hand and you need it to find a way to your destination. However, the compass that you are using has been magnetized to point South instead of North. Can you imagine the frustration that you would feel trying to navigate your way? Or imagine having a friend who constantly curses, makes crude jokes about people, and even mocks your flaws every time you have conversations. How long do you think that friendship will last? Or imagine the pain of marrying a gorgeous woman who constantly flirts with other men. How do you deal with a life like that? It would just leave you feeling empty and hurt all the time. The Bible describes God as love and that He cares about us, His greatest of all creation, whom He created to reflect His image of glory, goodness, and righteousness. Yet, because we continue to stray from His ways, we bring hurt and grief to His heart. This is the emotion behind verse 20, where it says, “The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.” The following verse shows God acting on His feelings—punishing those He detests and delivering those He delights in.

The word “blameless” in Hebrew is “tamiym,” which means “blameless, complete, entire, full, intact, integrity, sincerity, or without defect.” This word doesn’t mean sinless perfection because if it did, none of us would stand a chance. In the Old Testament, men and women were found to be “blameless” in the eyes of God because they sought God’s ways in their hearts, even though they were not perfect. There were Noah, Job, Abraham, and David, to name a few. We know that each of these men was a sinner, but God called them “blameless.” Today, we have a greater understanding of this recognition as we know that it is through faith in God’s righteousness that we are made blameless and righteous. Romans 3:21-24 says, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” As New Testament believers, we know we delight God when we come to His Son and seek to be like him. The word “abomination” isn’t just a term but a whole lot of emotions of disgust, loathing, and hatred. The word “delight” isn’t just a phrase but a great feeling of joy, pleasure, and exhilaration. When we read the Bible with our feelings, not just our heads, we get a deeper sense of God’s reality regarding our sin and righteousness.

• What do the words “abomination” and “delight” say about God?
• What parts of your life do you think God dislikes, and what parts do you think make Him happy?