Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 6:12-19

Today as we read from Windows to Wisdom by Stephen Olford we take a look at Proverbs 6:12-19.

Proverbs 6:12-19 (ESV) 

¹²  A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
¹³  winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
¹⁴ with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
¹⁵ therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
     in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
     seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷  haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸  a heart that devises wicked plans,
     feet that make haste to run to evil,
¹⁹  a false witness who breathes out lies,

    and one who sows discord among brothers.

 Verses 12-15 talk about what a worthless person is

- wicked

- saying things with his body: eyes, feet, hands

- his heart is perverted and he figures out ways to do bad 

- continually finds ways to help people to not trust each other

To such a person will calamity come suddenly.  This person will end up broken, beyond healing.

Verses 16-19 speak to things that the Lord hates

- haughty eyes

- a lying tongue

- hands that shed innocent blood

- heart that devises wicked plans

- feet that make haste to run to evil

- a false witness that breathes out lies

- a person who sows discord among believers

I was wondering what these sections had to do with each other until I read the sixth and seventh thing that the Lord hates.   A false witness and a discord sower.  These things are part of what make a worthless person.   Even the heart that thinks up evil plans, this too is part of a worthless person.   I see that list and I want to do all I can to make sure I'm not a worthless person.   Who wants to be worthless?   Who wants to end up being broken beyond repair?

Not something I want for my life or for my child and family.

God tells us "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths".    

If I truly believe this to be true... then I won't be a worthless person because I will have my thoughts and actions directed by him.  I won't be lying, I won't be saying wrong things with my mouth or with my body, I won't be like those who want to stir up drama, who will encourage folks to do wrong, and so forth.   My trust will be in the Lord the one who HATES such things.    If I let him direct my paths then I won't do the very things he hates (at least I'll be well on my way to that anyways). :)   

What does Olford have to say about this passage?

Olford points out that 

1. There are things that we must hate 

• first God describes what he hates (in the worthless man)
• then God defines what he hates (his list of seven) 
• vanity, falsity, cruelty, subtlety, villiany, perjury, and enmity

2. There are times that we must hate

A quote that I like "This means that when God hates, he does so with due regards to His nature as life, light and love.  .....  If you and I are to identified with the Lord of life, light and love, we also will have to hate evil and love good".