Does God Hate Us? - Part 3

The idea that God - who is Love - would hate anything is difficult to comprehend.  If God is Love, how could He hate?  The fact that hateful wickedness and evil do exist, causes doubts of the very existence of a God that Loves.  To many people, God is impersonal, indifferent to the sufferings of human society – much less concerned over us individually.  Humanists, denying the existence of God, have “rationalized” that evil doesn’t exist, either.  Should we really believe that a person’s actions and plans are never sinister?  

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 10

For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:  “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands" - Romans 3

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. - Jeremiah 17

In this series of articles "Does God Hate Us," we are examining Proverbs 6 - a list of things God specifically states He hates.  In the first two blogs we reviewed, "haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, and feet that are quick to rush into evil."  If reading this list and thinking, "oh, I'm not like these;" then we ask you to review the full articles, Part 1 and Part 2.  Yes, folks - all of us have done something, or behave someway, that God has told us He hates.  We all have sin and are accountable, even if only bearing the heaviness of a guilty conscious during this life.  We can choose to live oppressed:    

Sin speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. -- Psalm 36

These actions that God hates are offenses against our human society, and not merely against God.  What we do that destroys human relationships and destabilizes social order, God hates "with a passion." They don't just bring temporary pain and conflict, but severely separate us from relationship with our Heavenly Creator.  Yet only He can accurately know our hearts.  These behaviors - chosen, or not - prevent us from having any knowledge of God, whatsoever; and can prevent us from ever experiencing Him and His Love. We can even hinder another person's ability to know God. Such spiritual separation, without justice and forgiveness, can be eternal.  

For the wages of sin is death – Romans 6

The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death - Proverbs 10:16

 For some of you have NOT the knowledge of God [you are utterly and willfully and disgracefully ignorant, and continue to be so, lacking the sense of God's presence and all true knowledge of Him]. I say this to your shame. -- 1 Corinthians 15

 There are six things the LORD hates,

   seven that are detestable to him:
   (1) haughty eyes,
      (2) a lying tongue,
      (3) hands that shed innocent blood,
  (4) a heart that devises wicked schemes,
(5) feet that are quick to rush into evil,
  (6) a false witness who pours out lies
(7) and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. 

- Proverbs 6:16-19

 
It's interesting to note this list makes references to parts of the body:  eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet.  Of these that God hates, all would ordinarily characterize "a person who stirs up conflict in the community."  None can be more devestating, however, than (6) a false witness who pours out lies.  God hates this SO much, in fact, He included this in the old-school "Ten Commandments" - Deuteronomy 5:20 "Neither shall you witness falsely against your neighbor."  What we learn about false accusations, however, is how it devastation transcends the physical and impacts our mental and spiritual health. 

A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish - Proverbs 19

Bearing false witness is the most prolific from this list of things God hates, and has become a normality in Western culture.  This is also a "learned behavior," and it's something we begin learning at an early age.  An attorney once told me that in all court cases, each party always tell lies about the other party, even do the attorneys. Curiously what is often true is how the innocent, the victim, or the plantiff will also offer false testimony or exaggerate their claim.  False witnesses are everywhere around us - not just in courts.  There's false advertisements on TV, politicians regularly shift-blame, and children repeatedly hear false accusations about their character from places like radio, the movies, and very often from classmates.  The deception from false accusation is unmeasurable, and utilizes techniques that are not just verbal assaults.


Blame-shifting is a psychological issue, where rather than being personally accountable and accepting guilt, a person tends to blame someone or something else.  False accusations often manipulate or control feelings through guilt.  Rebellious children blame their parents for their own immaturity, abuses, and addictions (which, unfortunately, often bears credibility).  Another mental "false witness" is when a person who has hurt someone else, subconsciously generates a hatred against their victim.  They hate the victim, rather than consciously acknowledging their guilt.  In marriage, the cheating partner will falsely blame their spouse for the same offense.  They pour out lies, creating a hatred that is falsely justified.  It's like the "oh no, I broke up with YOU" syndrome, where the accuser actually makes themselves hate the other person for no reason - something much more devastating than immature.

The most common form of persecution of the Christian in Western society, originates as false accusations, slander, and hateful rhetoric that comes from the world and the enemies of God.  This becomes spiritual oppression, because the chronic belittling, mocking, and accusations defeats the human spirit.  Emotional abuse becomes spiritual oppression, and we can self-inflict and deepen our wounds.  Whether originating as untrue verbal insults, or coming from false teachings about our God-given identity and purpose - God hates these fallacies, and the people that pour them out.  Regardless Christian or not, all of us are victims.  Some Words to consider: 

Bless those who persecute you, who are cruel in their attitude toward you; bless and do not curse them - Romans 12:14

When men revile us and wound us with an accursed sting, we bless them. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently and endure it.  When we are slandered and defamed, we try to answer softly and bring comfort - 1 Corinthians 4:12-13

A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful - Proverbs 14:24-26

A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow - Proverbs 25:18

The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you - Deuteronomy 19:18-19

You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.  You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice - Exodus 23:1-2

A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he who breathes out lies shall not escape - Proverbs 19:5

To be continued:  "Does God Hate Us? - Love's Justice!"