If I claim to be a person trying to live out my faith, if I talk up the teachings of the Bible as the foundation to my life, then it behooves me to pay attention to certain markers I find in scripture. One involves the things God loves, like a cheerful giver. On the opposite extreme simmer those things God hates.

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hand that shed innocent blood, a heart the devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

While I could get lost digging into this list (which I did for a bit in one of my commentaries), I notice that lying—telling falsehoods—makes an appearance twice.

First, a lying tongue, which brings to mind a deceiver or betrayer. Then a few lines later, a false witness, leaning toward perjury, or deception in an official sense.

While everything on this list is hateful to the Lord, I tend to look at the worst and skip over the rest. I wasn’t out last night shedding innocent blood. But aspects of not telling the truth appearing twice raises red flags.

Where do I tend to be less than totally truthful? Where am I hesitant to speak the truth in love? When do I hold my tongue to my benefit? Do I share congratulations for a job well done with those who helped behind the scenes? I rarely tell out-and-out-lies, but the temptation to shade the truth toward my gratification always exists. And I sense the Lord’s displeasure in such practices.

We encounter a loving, caring God in the scriptures. But God wouldn’t be all-loving without hating the actions that hurt the people he created. So it’s worth a few minutes of contemplation, with the Holy Spirit alongside, to sift through a list of such insights.

Proverbs 6 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Muhammad Daudy