7 Things that God Hates
7 Things that God Hates.
Seven (7): The Biblical number that represents completeness, fulfillment, finished, perfection.
Abomination: a detestable action; something morally disgusting; something loathed with a passion; something abhorrent; something hated to the very soul; something despicable and repugnant.
“These six things the Lord hates; Yes, seven are an abomination to Him;
… a proud look: arrogance; pride; a haughty bearing; an air of superiority.
… a lying tongue: dishonest; can’t tell the truth; deceptive; deceitful.
… hands that shed innocent blood: murderous in attitude and action; bloodthirsty; violent.
… a heart that devises wicked schemes: loves to plot evil plans; feet that are swift in running to evil.
… a false witness who utters lies: pours out lies; kindles injustice; is deceitful even under oath.
… who spreads strife in the family: causes quarrels and dissension; a troublemaker in the home.
It might be surprising to realize that God can have hate in His heart. We know that God is full of love, that He is in fact Love. But hate? That is a difficult concept to digest. But think about it more, and it starts to make sense. Like the Father He is, God loves us so much that He hates whatever might be destructive to us, whatever might come to harm us or our relationship to him. God’s hatred for evil comes out of his eternal protective instinct. Another thing to think about… God is purely righteous, virtuous, good through and through. Out of His goodness He established a moral universe. Since the profoundly tragic fall of mankind, the overall moral universe remains, but immorality has to be dealt with and judged. Because of the way God made the world, which subsequently fell, there are rights and wrongs, the moral and immoral, the righteous and the unrighteous. God hates the wrongs. It’s no wonder the early Christians called them the ‘”deadly sins.” God wants to give us life, the evil one wants to give us death. God hates whatever might be deadly to us. God hates whatever in the world was not a part of His righteous plan for the world. Simply put, God’s hate comes out of His righteous love for us and His world. Yes, God hates. But He hates whatever is worth hating. It is the only way to turn a tragedy into a comedy.
God speaks plainly in His Word about what He loves and what he hates, about what God embraces and what he rejects. Here is a biblical catalogue of what God hates, what God finds abominable:
(1.) Religious activities that are insincere and without a lifestyle of justice and mercy. Amos 5:21-23;
(2.) The ignorant prayers of those who won’t listen to Scripture. Proverbs 28:9;
(3.) Child sacrifice. Deuteronomy 12:31.
(4.) Idolatry. Isaiah 41:24;
(5.) Witchcraft, sorcery, spiritism, spells, mediums. Deuteronomy 18:9-12.
(6.) Violence. Psalm 11:5.
(7.) Wickedness such as boasting, speaking falsehoods, being bloodthirsty, deceitful. Psalm 5.
(8.) Perverse hearts: ruthless, cruel, deceptive, pursues evil. Proverbs 11.
(9.) Prideful extravagance. Amos 6:8.
(10.) Homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22.
(11.) Cheating others in business. Deuteronomy 26:13-16.
(12.) Worship with selfish intent and mixed motives. Proverbs 21:27.
(13.) Judges who justify the guilty and condemn the innocent. Proverbs 17:15.
(14.) Self-exaltation. Proverbs 16:5.
(15.) That which is honored and applauded in the world’s value system. Luke 16:15. “What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous.” (MSG).