The Lt. Gov. of Indiana, Micah Beckwith, recently preached a sermon on “How to Hate Properly.” It is a theme he appears to be fond of. In an interview last May, he said Americans should be given “permission to hate again” and that “God hates certain things.”
That prompted me to do an old fashioned Bible word search for things God hates and things maybe we should and should not hate. Curiously, they do not seem to be the things that most agitates the Lt Governor.
I don't think I've missed any. I included related words in the search like detests. I’ve also included passages that suggest hate might not be the passion we most need to cultivate.
There are other ways than using the actual word by which the Bible indicates things of which God disapproves. But this seems a good place to start. And I would take people like Micah Beckwith more seriously if they seemed to take the following seriously.
Deuteronomy 12:31
You shall not do so to the Lord your God; for every abominable thing which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
Deuteronomy 16:22
And you shall not set up a pillar [idol], which the Lord your God hates.
Deuteronomy 29:17
and you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them.
Psalm 5:5
The boastful may not stand before thy eyes;
thou hatest all evildoers.
Psalm 11:5
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates him that loves violence.
Psalm 22:23-24
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
all you sons of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
and he has not hid his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
Psalm 31:6
Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the Lord.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 69:32-33
Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
Psalm 102:17
he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.
Psalm 119:104
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:113
I hate double-minded men, but I love thy law.
Psalm 119:128
Therefore I direct my steps by all thy precepts; I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:163
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things which the Lord hates,
seven which 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 a man who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs 8:12-14
I, wisdom, dwell in prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate
[perverted speech = that which distorts reality to mislead, manipulate, or tear others down]
I have counsel and sound wisdom,
I have insight, I have strength.
Proverbs 13:5
A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully.
Proverbs 14:21
He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but happy is he who is kind to the poor.
Isaiah 1:14-17
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread forth your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
defend the fatherless,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 61:8
For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrong
Jeremiah 33:4-5
Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their wickedness and burn no incense to other gods.
Ezekiel 20:7
And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
I will not accept them,
and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts
I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an everflowing stream.
Zechariah 8:16
These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord.
Malachi 2:16
“For I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.”
Luke 14:26
“If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 16:13-15
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Those who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. But he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination [bdelyktos, sometimes translated as “detestable”] in the sight of God.
John 12:25
He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Revelation 2:6
Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. [The Nicolaitans were a group apparently given to idolatry and sexual license]
Romans 12:9-10
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
[The whole of Romans 12 is a summary of what it means to “hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.”]
Whatever it might mean to “hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good” it must be practiced in light of the following:
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 69:32-33
Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
Psalm 102:17
he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.
Proverbs 14:21
He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but happy is he who is kind to the poor.
Matthew 18:10
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Luke 18:9
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.
Romans 14:3
Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.
Romans 14:10
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
1 John 2:9
He who says he is in the light and hates his brother or sister is in the darkness still.
1 John 2:11
But he who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 3:15
Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 4:20
If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-22
Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil.
Ephesians 4:30-32
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
James 3:8-10
but no human being can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.
1 Peter 3:15
but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
Philippians 4:5
Let all men know your forbearance.
No comments:
Post a Comment