It’s borderline obsession, but in a good way, when we can’t spend enough time together when we first start dating someone. At my niece’s recent wedding, the officiant talked about their first meeting in a coffee shop that lasted for 13 hours. All they did was talk and get to know one another. I remember many hours I spent getting to know my husband when we first met. People sometimes have difficulty believing that God is real. Some may feel that He is some nebulous being far away who isn’t concerned with our daily lives. Nothing could be farther from the truth; he wants to have that coffee shop experience with us. The secret to getting to know God is how we get to know people. We spend time with them; we observe how they act and react, their likes and dislikes.
Gossip
Gossip is the worst. It causes us to judge someone based on how the speaker wants us to feel about that person. Unfortunately, there are many “gossips” out there who want us to influence us against God. We often believe what they say instead of getting to know the person ourselves. This can go on through generations, resulting in many erroneous ideas about God. We owe it to ourselves and the Creator, who gave us a brain to think and explore independently of another person’s bias. Let’s begin getting to know Him with a little look at the seven verses in Proverbs chapter 6. It’s a list of 7 things that God hates. Here is a hint: it’s not us.
These six things the Lord hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:
1. A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], 2. A lying tongue,
Proverbs 6:16-19
3. And hands that shed innocent blood,
4. A heart that creates wicked plans,
5. Feet that run swiftly to evil,
6. A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths],
7. We And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.
A Proud Look
There’s a simple list of what God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. The first on the list is a proud look. Pride keeps us from God; we are human, finite, and fallible. If we think we are equal with Him, we have no idea who He is. Thinking we are equal or better is not only ridiculous, but it robs us of a personal relationship with an infinite God. God hates “A proud look” because He created all people in His image. He doesn’t love some more than others. God hates, despises, and is disgusted by racism or the seeing of oneself as somehow superior to others. Our poor treatment of one another. Man’s inhumanity to man disgusts God, and it all begins with pride. Some of the greatest evils include ages of ethnic cleansing and murder. One example is that Hitler killed over 60,000 Jews.
Why God Hates
God hates anything that will destroy us and our relationship with Him. The Bible lists seven things that God hates. Why? It’s because those seven things can destroy people, cause pain, and draw people away from a loving relationship with Him. He doesn’t hate people. The Bible makes it clear that He loves people; He so loved the world that He gave His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins and shortcomings. Pride is the sin that causes a rift with our mighty and loving God but also causes humans to destroy one another. God is good and loving. He hates what is evil and loves what is good. The more we get to know Him, the more we see Him unfathomably loving, mighty, and desiring a relationship with us.
