Good morning Signal Mountain!
First, I would like to express my appreciation to Joel Baxley and David Bible for preaching last Sunday while I was in California doing the wedding service for Patrick and Amanda. The Lord has blessed this congregation with talented members who are willing and able to serve. Thanks be to the Lord.
Today, let’s return to Proverbs 6:16-19 where scripture lists seven things God hates. I’ve been praying about this, thinking through this list and how each item captures a sweeping theme that is echoed from one end of the Bible to the other. This list deserves a sermon series, since each item has great impact on our eternal as well as present condition.
Let me start with a question: What do you hate most? If you had to list three things you hate, what would they be?
While you are thinking about those, let me say that we use the words love and hate far too lightly. “I love that tie you have on!” Or, “I hate being late for church!” “I love chocolate.” Or, “I hate smelly feet.” We can sometimes destroy the true impact of words by using them wrongly, like taking a bazooka to kill a cock roach, we can say powerful words in contexts where they are not supposed to be used. It overstates the point, and in doing so, degenerates the meaning of the word. Hyperbole of a word, if practiced all the time drains the power out of it. God’s word teaches us to be careful with our speaking. Jesus said, “Every idle word a man shall speak, he shall give account on the day of judgment.” Then to press the point, Jesus went on, “For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.”
So… what do you hate? Honestly, truly and fully… what do you most recoil from or feel disgusted with?
When the Bible says to us, “God hates this…” We really should take it to heart. We really need to listen up and pay attention, knowing that whatever follows is a matter of grave and eternal importance.
Proverbs is a book that looks at both sides of the coin on many issues of life. It gives wisdom and insight so that we can walk with good judgment and sure guidance through this life. The Proverbs speak of love and hate, wisdom and folly, laziness and industriousness, purity and uncleanness, life and death, peace and turmoil, security and danger, etc. While Proverbs doesn’t give a lot of story contexts for the wisdom statements it records, the rest of the scriptures do. So, as we look at this first item on the list of what God hates, I would like us to use it as an introduction to a topic and see if we can find a story or two from other scripture with which to relate it. Our goal will be to discover how to avoid or overcome what God hates by fleeing from it and instead embracing what God loves.
Proverbs 6: 16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him: (and the first one on the list…)
17 haughty eyes, (or a proud look,)
The Hebrew words here mean to have exalted, lifted up, or proud eyes or an arrogant look.
Twice in Luke’s gospel Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” 14:11 and 18:14 Other texts that echo this principle are:
James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
There are several stories in the Bible that illustrate this, and I invite you to look at two of them with me this morning:
The first story is from the Old Testament book of 2 Kings 5:1-18
Notice again verse 13: Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
Naaman’s pride blocked his obedience to God’s word. Naaman is a great warrior. He is used to being treated with honor and respect. He expected to be received and ceremoniously healed by the prophet. “Behold, I thought…” He even brought a lot of gifts to pay for his healing, so when the prophet doesn’t even come down to see him and do what he expects, but simply sends a servant to tell him, “go dip in the Jordan seven times,” well… his pride is hurt. Nothing makes us angrier than wounded pride. I wonder what his face looked like when he turned and left Elisha’s house. God has great mercy on Naaman. He not only heals Naaman of his leprosy but also teaches him humility in the process.
Humility is always required for us to be obedient to God’s word. Jesus begins the beatitudes: blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Just think about it. All of the beatitudes require humility before God. In fact, everything God says to us and about us requires humility to receive and believe and practice. Pride disrupts and prevents that. God hates the proud look, the haughty eyes, because they keep us from being close to God. To overcome pride we must humble ourselves. We can’t listen to the voice of God and enjoy his nearness when pride is in our hearts. What God tells us will only make us mad, or make us mock, or make us turn away from him when pride is present in us. Thank God for Naaman’s servants. They were wise enough to speak reason to this man, even with his wounded pride. They helped him think about the simplicity and beauty of humble acts of obedience. And, thank God, he listened!
They said, “If the prophet had asked you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? How much more when he says, ‘Go dip seven times and be cleansed!’” Humility changes our condition before God and rescues us from the destruction of pride. We must learn to overcome pride with humility.
The second story is in the New Testament. Jesus told the story in Luke 18:
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In this case we have two characters: one to show us what God hates and the other to show us how to overcome it.
I wonder what you think about the Pharisee in this story? Did you notice what his problem is? It is not that he is doing good things, but it is his attitude of self righteousness in doing them. He is proud of his goodness! But the pride in his heart makes him look down on others who are not as good as he sees himself to be. God hates this. Here there is a form of religion but no power. Nothing is more blinding to our eyes than self-righteousness. The only cure is humility.
Remember the words of Jesus to the church in Laodicia, in Revelation 3:
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Jesus gives the instruction for how to escape the ruin of pride in self-righteousness. We must compare ourselves to Him and open our hearts and minds to him, listen to His voice and let Jesus Christ discipline us with rebuke and chastening. He can humble us, so that we can enjoy his presence with us and join with him at the table of blessing.
Humbling yourself is the first step on the path to eternal life with Jesus Christ. May we overcome pride with humility through the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
