Character Studies in Proverbs : Lesson #13 Character that God Hates
(Proverbs 6:12-19)
In this lesson we are going to see some things that God hates. Yes it is true God hates some things and despite what we have been told all our lives about hating something if God hates something then we should also hate it. This lesson is entitled Character that God hates because in this passage we will see the things that God hates connected to the character of a wicked man.
Things that God Hates :
1) Proud Look (verse 17)
- The very first thing on the list is connected with pride and this is connected with the first sin that ever took place. Satan was corrupted because of his beauty and sinned through pride (Ezekiel 28:12-17 ; Isaiah 14:12-17)
- In Proverbs 13:10 we see that the source of contention is pride.
- Pride can be connected to the other things listed in this list whether it is pride that causes us to do another sin or just the fact that we sin out of pride.
- Remember when we start to feel prideful we are headed for a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
2) Lying Tongue (verse 17)
- It is no wonder that God hates lying because once again it is connected with Satan, he is the father of it (John 8:44).
- Many times it is pride that makes us lie and have you ever noticed how hard it is just to simply tell the truth.
- Remember that the next time you are tempted to lie that God hates it.
3) Hands That Shed Innocent Blood (verse 17)
- This is also connected with Satan because the word of God says that he was a murder from the beginning (John 8:44).
- When we think of this part of the verse we think of cold blooded murders and while it is true God hates murder we can maybe also apply it another way.
- Many practical jokes have resulted in people losing their lives, for instance I know of a case where people were killed in a car wreck because someone the night before thought it would be funny to steal a stop sign on one side of an intersection.
- The bible discusses this type of stuff in Proverbs 26:18-19. Note the man that deceives his neighbor and says, “Am I not in sport”. That is the same as saying I was just playing, but many times these sorts of things can result in horrible consequences. Note in verse 18 he is said to cast firebrands, arrows and death.
4) Wicked Imaginations (verse 18)
- This was one of the reasons that God destroyed the earth in the flood of Noah (Genesis 6:5-7).
- Note here that the root word of imagination is “IMAGE”. This word is used many times in the word of God to denote an idol or a false god. This is why we must be so careful with things like computers, tv’s, video games, movies, magazines because what we usually think about is simply what we have seen somewhere. Once we start thinking about it usually leads to wicked imagination. Remember all of the wicked things that man does has to be thought up in the mind first and God hates a wicked imagination.
- A good verse to go along with this would be Proverbs 23:7 because it says, “for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”. What we think about continually in our heart will directly affect what and who we become.
5) Feet That Be Swift In Running To Mischief (verse18)
- There are some people that love doing mischief, they literally run to it. Here we see that God hates this.
- Let us see what the Word of God says about a mischievous person. The word of God defines a mischievous person as one that devises to do evil (Proverbs 24:8). It also likens him to a fool (Proverbs 10:23)
- Do not be a mischievous person and also stay away from those who are.
6) A False Witness That Speaketh Lies (verse 19)
- We have already seen that God hates a lying tongue. Now we see that he hates the person who lies about someone else in a specific matter.
- Proverbs 19:5,9 show us some things about a False Witness and remember that this kind of thing always comes back to haunt you.
7) He That Soweth Discord Among the Brethren (verse 19)
- First let us define discord. It is strife that results from disagreement.
- This one is aimed at church people because church people seem to always be spreading discord among the brethren.
- What happens is someone doesn’t agree with the Pastor or someone else in the church about something and instead of dealing with that person about it they go and tell all their friends about it and that is sowing discord because now the friend feels the same way.
- God hates this stuff and we should too.
Now that we have discussed the things that God hates lets go back to verses 12-14 and connect them to the character of a wicked man.
1) Walking with a forward mouth would match a proud look. Froward can be defined as not willing to yield with what is required or disobedient. Many times our mouth cause us to get into trouble because we say things and then because of our pride we sin even though we know it is wrong.
2) Winketh with his eye would match a lying tongue. Many times when we lie and we know that someone knows we are lying we wink at them. Also men and women when they are flirting with one another will wink at each other even though they are not seriously interested.
3) Speaketh with his feet will match feet that be swift in running to mischief. Where we go and what we do says way more about our character than anything that comes out of our mouths.
4) Teacheth with his fingers will match hands that shed innocent blood. One of the best ways to learn how to do something is to watch someone else do it, therefore we teach with our fingers. We must remember with these last two that as Christians everyone is watching us and we must remember to ask ourselves just what are we teaching those who are watching us.
5) Frowardness in his heart would match wicked imaginations. The reason a man’s heart would be forward would be because he has entertained wicked imaginations.
6) Deviseth mischief would match a false witness. When some is telling a lie to help or hurt someone else they are devising mischief.
7) Sowing discord will match sowing discord among the brethren. That one is simple and needs no explanation.
The reason that we must avoid the things that God hates and not have the character that God hates is because of the result of this kind of character. The result is found in Proverbs 6:15.
“Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.”
This kind of Character leads to destruction and this destruction is not able to be fixed. Remember this the next time that you see these things developing inside of you.
Character Studies in Proverbs : Lesson #13 Handout
Character that God Hates (Proverbs 6:12-19)
1) List the seven things that God hates and give a verse to go with each one.
2) Show how the characteristics of a wicked man match the things that God hates.
3) What is the result of a wicked character that God hates?