“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
—Proverbs 6:16–19
In this sobering passage, the Spirit of God lays before us not only what is morally foul, but what is deeply personal to Him, those sins that He hates. God certainly hates all sin, even the smallest is worthy of His eternally just wrath. The focus of the text before us is not mere social misdemeanors, but abominations, things utterly contrary to His holy nature and detestable in His sight. And though written under the old covenant, these seven evils remain abhorrent to God in the age of the gospel, for they strike at the very heart of what the law requires and what Christ came to restore: love of neighbor.
Let us consider how each of these evils is echoed and condemned anew in the New Testament.
Haughty Eyes
Pride is the lifting up of self over others. It is a root sin, for by it Satan fell (Isaiah 14:13–14) and man after him. God “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The gospel calls us to lowliness of mind, counting others more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). To view others with contempt is to forget that all stand level at the foot of the cross. The proud man cannot love his neighbor, for he will not stoop to serve him.
A Lying Tongue
The Lord Jesus identified Satan as “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). All who bear falsehood show themselves children not of the light, but of darkness. In Christ, however, we are called to put away falsehood and speak the truth with our neighbor (Ephesians 4:25). To lie is to rob another of truth, which is a gift of love and trust. The tongue governed by grace will speak what builds up, not what deceives.
Hands That Shed Innocent Blood
This speaks not only of physical murder, but all hatred that leads to it (Matthew 5:21–22). “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,” wrote John (1 John 3:15). The law of Christ leads us to love even our enemies and to do good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27). All violence against the innocent is a denial of God’s image in man. A cruciform life is laid down for our brothers, not determined to deprive them of their own.
A Heart That Devises Wicked Plans
Sin begins in the secret places of the heart. The Lord Jesus declared, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19). The Spirit renews us inwardly, teaching us to take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). The thoughts we entertain are not hidden from God, and from them our actions flow. Love cannot dwell where we scheme to harm others, in thought, word, or deed.
Feet That Make Haste to Run to Evil
These are lives that are eager for sin, rushing toward it without restraint. But the redeemed are called to walk in wisdom and make the best use of the time (Ephesians 5:15–16), hating even the garment stained by the flesh (Jude 23). To be quick to do harm is to live as though judgment delays and sin brings no sorrow. The one who loves will be slow to anger and quick to show mercy.
A False Witness Who Breathes Out Lies
This is a specific form of lying that aims to harm another—often under the pretense of justice. Christ Himself was condemned by such witnesses (Mark 14:56). The ninth commandment endures: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Romans 13:9). False testimony destroys reputations, families, and churches. God’s people must bear witness to the truth, even when it costs them.
“Monuments are not to be erected to the Righteous, when deceased; their words are their Monuments.”
—Nehemiah Coxe
One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers
Of all these, this is perhaps the most grievous to the church and driven by the previous six. Division within the body of Christ is not a small thing, it rends what God has joined together. The apostolic command is clear: “Watch out for those who cause divisions… avoid them” (Romans 16:17). Christ prayed for our unity (John 17:21); Satan labors to destroy it. Love binds the church together; strife tears it apart. This isn’t-at-all the “at-all-costs” imposter of love which rules our day, at the expense of truth, but love which genuinely “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).
A Mirror of the Second Table
What do these seven sins have in common? They are all offenses against our neighbor. They are, in effect, violations of the second table of the law, the commandments that deal with our relationships to one another (Exodus 20:12–17). To lift up oneself in pride, to lie, to harm, to deceive, to stir conflict, each one stands opposed to the great commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
We must not only flee these sins because they are forbidden, but because they are contrary to the very nature of God’s love which “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). The gospel does not begrudge us to modify our behavior; it transforms our entire inner being to delight in God’s law out of gratitude. If we are in Christ, then we are no longer what we once were. We do not devise wicked plans and instead seek not only our own good, but the good of others. We do not bear false witness, we bear one another’s burdens. We do not sow discord but strive for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). To our shame, and the detriment of our neighbor, we do not perfectly make these our pursuits…we often do not love our brothers, much less our enemies, as we ought because we have not yet fully beheld the glory of God’s grace to us in Christ. It is only by looking to this same grace which saved us that we will properly orient our efforts and affections away from our own gratification to those whom God has entrusted to us.
Let us not only abhor what is evil, but cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Let the things that God hates be hated by us, not because God needs our good works, but because our neighbors do. My prayer is that you may see the abominable nature of these self-worshipping sins. Failure to do so not only denies God the obedience due Him, but leads us to be unfruitful rather than abounding in good works prepared for us. So let us pursue love, not as the world defines it, but as God has revealed it: pure, truthful, peaceable, long suffering, and just.
“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
—Galatians 5:14
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