DETESTABLE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but He delights in those whose ways are blameless.

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight.

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both. 

If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right.

Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both.

The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. 
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

Proverbs 11:20, 12:22, 15:8, 15:9, 15:26, 16:5, 17:15, 17:26, 20:10, 20:23, 21:27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Are you detestable?

Not many of us would probably be quick to say yes. Just looking at the definition for the word is enough to not want anyone associated with it.

Detestable – adj - deserving intense dislike, abhorrent, loathsome, despicable, abominable, repulsive, revolting, disgusting, distasteful, horrible, horrid, and awful.

We read about the evil actions of others and detest them. It can be sickening how people can have such disregard for others to where they feel they can exploit, violate, assault, and even kill another human being. But when we look at the Bible, we find that there are behaviors far less heinous than the evil we see in the world that are detestable, maybe not to all, but definitely to the Lord and that’s all that matters.

Simply put, if it’s detestable to the Lord, we have no business engaging in it.

So what does the Lord find detestable? Look at this lengthy list of proverbs:

The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but He delights in those whose ways are blameless. Proverbs 11:20

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. Proverbs 12:22

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. Proverbs 15:8

The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. Proverbs 15:9

The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. Proverbs 15:26

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both. Proverbs 17:15 
If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right. Proverbs 17:26

Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both. Proverbs 20:10

The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. Proverbs 20:23 
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!  Proverbs 21:27

1. A perverse heart.

The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse.

A lot of people hear the world perverse and think it means something sexual. And although it can and does sometimes apply there, the word has a broader application. Here’s its meaning:

Perverse – adj - of a person or their actions showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences. Synonyms include: contrary, difficult, unreasonable, uncooperative, unhelpful, obstructive, stubborn, or obstinate.

Now, I ask, how many times have you had a perverse heart? I know I have and it’s scary after reading this proverb knowing I did something that the Lord detested. All the more reason to keep my heart in check, allowing Jesus into it so that all that He is will be all that I am. And that will never be perverse.

2. A liar.

The Lord detests lying lips.

Right after discovering we have had a perverse heart that the Lord detests, we find ourselves challenged again by this proverb because I have never met anyone so perfect that they haven’t told a lie in their life. The Lord detests falsehood; God’s word leaves little doubt about that. So we need to be committed fully to the truth and telling it each and every time we speak.  

3. Those who sacrifice with wrong intent.

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked. 
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

The scriptures here are talking about people sacrificing when they have no interest in repenting and changing their sinful ways. The sacrifice is supposed to conceal their real inner motives by giving the appearance they want to change even though they don’t. The Lord detests anyone who defers to wickedness over righteousness as we see in item 4.

4. Wickedness.

The Lord detests the way of the wicked.

The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked.

Turn away from the Lord and toward sin and you will find all your ways becoming wicked. What you do, what you say, and what you think will be transgressional in nature and detestable in the eyes of the Lord.

5. Pride and arrogance.

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

When pride takes over, we focus on ourselves and ourselves alone. We are above others, we are better than others, and we don’t need the help or advice of others. In fact, we don’t even need the Lord because we can handle our own problems. In a way, we believe we are god-like in a sense and that kind of attitude isn’t going to cut it with the One who commanded us to have no other gods before Him.

6. Injustice.

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both.

If you think injustice brings your blood to a boil (I know it upsets me), it’s nothing like what it does to the Lord who is perfectly fair and just and right in all He does. Anyone who metes out justice unfairly and inappropriately, wronging the innocent while allowing the guilty to go free is not making decisions with the guidance of the Lord and thus will find themselves detested by Him.

7. Dishonesty and deceitfulness.

Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both.

The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

Dishonesty and deceit will never sit well with the Lord who expects truth and integrity. In Old Testament times, vendors would literally dupe people out of money by using inaccurate weights and scales used in transactions for money or goods. The Lord detested this but the application is broader in its meaning. For anyone who intentionally deceives or misleads someone for their own gain is sinning, plain and simple, and the Lord despises this kind of heart-attitude.

So what have we learned from these proverbs and the wisdom of Solomon?

I hope we have learned that we all have been or are presently detested by the Lord and this isn’t a place we should ever want to be. Knowing this, there are three immediate responses we need to make:

1. We need to repent of anything that we have done that is detestable to the Lord and seek His forgiveness.

2. We need to receive the Lord’s mercy, grace, and love with thanksgiving. Ditto for His correction if He needed to discipline us for our sinfulness.

3. We need to turn to the Lord each and every day, allowing our hearts and minds to be guided by Him. For when we do, every deed, every spoken word, and every thought will be sanctioned and endorsed by Him, righteous in nature and thus never detestable in His sight.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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