Seven Abominations

No, this isn't an article about the Last Days of Revelations. It's not a "Wrath of God" countdown of the people committing the most evil in popular culture or government, either. I don't know about you, but the word "abomination" carries with it the unfortunate picture of a man with a comb-over and a three-piece suit screaming at the top of his lungs about teens gyrating their hips to "rock and/or roll" music. I wish that wasn't the first thing that came to my mind, but we should admit that there has been an inappropriate overuse of such a strong word. That said, "abomination" is a completely appropriate word to describe supreme hatred and disgust. I'm thrilled to say that I don't use the word very often, but that doesn't mean there isn't a proper place for use of such a colorful term. In Proverbs 6:16-19, we find one of those appropriate places:

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. (ESV)

Ouch. Hated by God? Disgusting and vile?? Seems harsh. Isn't this kind of language and attitude something God should "be above"? Why make such a big deal out of some of these? We can all probably agree that people that intentionally harm innocents are practicing evil. They should probably face some sort of ramifications for their evil deeds. What about people who have "proud eyes" and lie? Is that really something that should spawn "ABOMINATION-talk"?

It seems there may be a few things keeping us from feeling the full weight of this passage. The first may be a tendency to accept God's Wrath on a simple level. To some, it may seem that this is God's normal state. He is primarily characterized by his hatred and wrath against mankind's rebellion. Of course, it is true that God hates rebellion and evil, but this shallow understanding of God's attributes presents an ogre-like God who is looking for an opportunity to attack anyone who "crosses his bridge". This mentality misses the clear statements of Scripture referring to the God who loves glory, honor and power, but makes those attributes most manifest through lovingkindness. Our God is to be praised for His gracious love. Grace is to be seen as ultimate. Wrath is to be viewed as penultimate. This is not to put attributes at odds with one another, rather to place the appropriate weight on them.

In a similar way, some may misconstrue teachings about the love of God. This would be characterized as a view of God's love that would negate the possibility of any hatred. A "God of Love who hates" to them would seem to be a contradiction. This too is a misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about God's Love and Wrath. There is a better way of viewing the connection between God's wrath and God's love. A way that shows why God shouldn't be and isn't "above" hatred, and sheds light on how magnificent his love really is.

God's hatred of evil is good news to us. There is no better place to observe the joy of God's hatred of evil than at the cross. The place where evil and wrath were present on a scale that had never been seen is also the place where hatred of evil demonstrated the greatest love ever known. I find it incredibly interesting to find all seven abominations listed in Proverbs 6:16-19 played out in the Gospel accounts of the death and humiliation of our Messiah. Is it not fascinating that these very same evils brought about the means by which evil was mortally wounded and sinners were forgiven?! Jesus took on evil, and in doing so bore the full fury of wrath. He could not be destroyed by His Father's wrath, but evil does not share the kind of perfection necessary to survive. Evil is a wounded fugitive in hiding until the Hero delivers the coup-de-grace in the Last Days.

The appropriate response to this idea of "abomination" is not to call on destruction of the sinners around us begging for obliteration, nor is it to pretend that God is somehow too big for the problem of evil in the world. Rather, we should respond in gratefulness that God sent his Son to show his love for us (Romans 5:8). His Son was sent to deal with our evil by bearing wrath because of his great love.