Proverbs 6:16-19 God HATES that!

There are six things the Lord hates,

    seven that are detestable to him:
          haughty eyes,

        a lying tongue,

        hands that shed innocent blood,
        a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
        a false witness who pours out lies

        and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

One of the things that I notice as we read through the Proverbs is how easy it is to apply the verses to other people rather than to ourselves. Whether thinking about people who hoard or are lazy, don’t we tend to shake our heads as we think of “those” who do such things? We fall so quickly into judging others rather than seeing our own sin. So, as we read verses that begin with “There are six things the Lord hates...,” we are already primed to also hate these things and “those people” who do them - and we cannot imagine how these verses would apply to us personally!

I’ve been thinking about these verses since yesterday, and the Lord showed me a couple of amazing things while I was preparing to tackle them. First, I noticed that it does NOT start out “The Lord hates people who do these things...” It isn’t until the last lines that it becomes that personalized. The other verses are talking about detached body parts: eyes that are proud or haughty; tongues that lie; hands that kill; hearts that plot; and feet that run to evil. It isn’t until the end that it says God hates the person who lies and stirs up dissension.

 God is love, and it’s hard to think of Him hating anything! But these attitudes and actions come straight from the pit of hell. They come from the father of lies whose goal is to kill, steal, and destroy. Satan LOVES each of these things that God hates. And he uses even the most godly people to be instruments of these hateful actions. Remember Jesus rebuking Peter with a “Get the behind me, Satan!” when Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross?

We may decry “those people” who are prideful, “those” who lie, gossip and discourage, “those” who manipulate to get their way, “those” who create dissension, but we have to admit that sometimes “they” is “us!” We can be unwittingly used by Satan, and then, sometimes, it’s almost as if we raise our hands and shout to Satan, “Send me! I’ll discourage the heck out of that guy!”

How do we avoid being part of what God hates? First by humbly admitting our need to depend on His strength, not our own - and then ASKING Him for that strength. The Bible reminds us over and over to guard our hearts. Jesus said that out of the HEART the mouth speaks. In Jeremiah we are told, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:5) The Holy Spirit is the One who can change our hearts. We need to offer them up for change, be open to change as we study God’s Word, and actively seek to DO what God’s Word tells us!

We might even begin with that whole judgmental attitude thing. Repent of it! Then extend GRACE to others. I read the most amazing article the other day which speaks to the idea that Christians eat their own! We can be so harsh and gleefully jump on those who have fallen. I’m begging you to also read this article. It defines GRACE acted out. The title is “Going to Hell With Ted Haggard.” Now, doesn’t that make you want to read it? Do it, then let me know what you think!  

Proverbs 6:12-15 Watch out scoundrels!

A scoundrel and villain,

    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
    who winks with his eye,

    signals with his feet

    and motions with his fingers,
    who plots evil with deceit in his heart—

    he always stirs up dissension.  
Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;

    he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. (Proverbs 6:12-15)

In these verses Solomon describes the person who plots and stirs up trouble. The one at work who likes to play people against each other. The neighbor who keeps the gossip mill going to create controversy. Anyone who says one thing but means another. We know these people - sometimes we might even BE these people. God forbid!

Jon Courson suggests there might be a tie-in with these verses to the previous verses on being lazy, because lazy people fall prey to get-rich-quick schemers who plot ways to separate us from our money. People who are lazy are always looking for the easy buck, and scoundrels are right there to promise it. They promise the moon with their fingers crossed behind their backs. They happily sell you the lottery ticket knowing you are throwing your money down the drain.

The good news is that people who plot with evil intention always seem to fall into their own traps. Indeed, Solomon promises here that they will not get away with it. They will be destroyed by sudden disaster. Psalm 37 repeats this theme, affirming that the wicked will get their due. Has someone been plotting evil toward you? Don’t worry. You don’t need to defend yourself. God will take care of the scoundrels!  

Proverbs 6:6-11 Get up, you lazy fool!

Before I move on this morning, I just have to give you the opportunity to check out my daughter Molly’s blog published last week, which is about the concept of hoarding and being controlled by what we own. If you have small children or grandchildren, this is must-read for inoculating your children against a sense of entitlement. Click here to read!

In today’s verses in Proverbs, Solomon makes such a quick turn from the subject of lending, that you might get whiplash! These next verses speak to the subject of ambition, with a strong rebuke to the lazy:

Go to the ant, you sluggard;

    consider its ways and be wise!  
It has no commander,

    no overseer or ruler,  
yet it stores its provisions in summer

    and gathers its food at harvest.  
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

    When will you get up from your sleep?  
A little sleep, a little slumber,

    a little folding of the hands to rest—  
and poverty will come on you like a bandit

    and scarcity like an armed man. (Proverbs 6:6-11)

About thirty years ago I did a study in Proverbs about the subject of wealth vs. poverty. We will read much on this topic while in this book! This is the first mention of one of the causes of poverty: laziness. Now, we know this is not the only cause, but there are many people who do end up in poverty because they refuse to get off their behinds and get to work! Solomon is promising the reader that if you do not get up out of bed and get going, preferring to lounge around like a slug, you will end up in poverty. 

The image I’m getting here is that of a teenager who, during the summer, keeps late hours, then cannot get himself up out of bed to look for the summer job that Dad has been haranguing him to find. You want to shake him or throw water on him. “Get up, you fool! Quit wasting the day and get out there and pound the pavement!”

I remember how much I hated the idea of going out and finding a summer job when I was home from college! It wasn’t so much laziness as fear. But I am so grateful for a father who kept pushing me! I had applied at one place, and the manager told me he didn’t need anyone. This actually relieved me, as I could honestly claim to my father that I had tried. But Dad said, “Go back and ask again. You need to show a strong interest.” Thinking my father was a lunatic, but nevertheless feeling safe to go back and ask again, I went back a second time. Still no positions available. Phew! But my father made me go back a THIRD time! This time, the manager said, “You know, I don’t really have any openings, but I’m so impressed by your persistence, I’m going to hire you anyway!” Wow! I learned a huge lesson about employers and how to get a job! The truth is that summer job had a lot to do with me reconnecting with my husband Don, which led to our marriage! So, thank, Dad, for pushing me!

Don’t you love how Solomon refers to the industrious ant? I love how God uses His creation to teach us truths about life and about Himself. That amazing creature is a model of industry and persistence. Anyone who has been invaded by ants would agree! They are so focused on their task and don’t let any obstacles get in their way. They work ceaselessly and take care to store up for the future. { Okay, so I guess having the annuity is a smart thing! }

The point Solomon is making is that we need to work for our needs. God did not call us to easy! He is the Provider, but He expects us to work - not because He is a mean taskmaster, but because work is GOOD for us! It develops so many characteristics that we need. Work not only provides us with finances, but with a purpose outside of ourselves. It trains us to be responsible, submissive to authority, and accountable to others. It provides us with a great deal of satisfaction. God is preparing us for heaven, and I have a feeling we will NOT be sitting on our bottoms there!  

What are you holding onto?

I’ve been doing the Beth Moore study on the book of James this year, and we are almost at the end. It has been an amazing, challenging study! As I was reading James 5 this past week, I was impressed by the harshness of the first few verses:

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. (James 5:1-3)

This particular passage is similar to a pronouncement of judgment from an Old Testament prophet like Isaiah. While James addresses his reading audience as “brothers” throughout the letter, here he is speaking to “you rich people” - and in the strongest terms. It seems that he is specifically writing to those who oppress others (verses 4-6), rather than to his “brothers.” However, the message is clear for all of us, and certainly these words parrot exactly what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:19-21 and in Luke 12:13-21. Don’t put your faith in things that don’t last! Quit holding onto those things that wear out! 

Beth Moore, in discussing these verses, focuses on the hoarding we do. Now, I am not someone who holds onto things to the extent that I would qualify for a reality show. I do have neighbors, however, who surely would. We have three-car garages, and some of them on my street are crammed from floor to ceiling with years of accumulated junk, so that there is no way even one car could fit in them. So, as I read the above verses in James, before I could go on a judging jag, the Lord brought me up short about my own attitudes!

I may not have boxes and boxes of “stuff” crammed into my garage just in case I might “someday” need something that’s in those boxes, BUT Don and I do have retirement money set aside in an annuity that is supposed to help see us through our remaining years. Now, I know that is the responsible thing to do, but I’ve been finding that I need to guard my heart when it comes to my attitude toward it. Am I “hoarding” it in my heart? I find myself sometimes worrying, “Will it be enough? Can we tap into it for vacations? Or should we leave it all untouched just is case???” See how that little trickle of worry could become a raging river?

We recently took out a chunk from it and set it into our bank account for some expenses we see coming up this year. The refrigerator is on its last legs, the water heater’s days are numbered, and the TV in the family room (an old behemoth of a thing) is ready to go, as well. So, we took a sum out of the annuity to help cover those costs, as well as just some living expenses since Don is retired. And right away, I could feel myself getting a bit worried. I’m having to remind myself that my future is in God’s hands! HE is where my security lies - not in a 401K or an annuity. The annuity is only as good as the company that holds it! But my eternity - my REAL future - is in God’s sovereign hands. And He loves me more than I can fathom.

So, what are you holding onto? Or what is holding onto you? Are you getting lost in piles of things in your closet or boxes stacked in your garage? While we hold onto these things that we will probably never use again, and which our children will have to deal with when we are gone (and they WILL be cursing us in that event), there ARE people who might make good use of these things. There are people all around us who would love some of our clothes, toys, and furniture. There are MANY who don’t have the luxury of planning a vacation somewhere who could use some of our hoarded wealth. It’s time to rethink our priorities and our giving. That’s what a new year is all about!

Back to Proverbs tomorrow!  

Proverbs 6:1-5 Don't lend!

The first nine chapters of Proverbs Solomon are introductory and foundational. In them he focuses mainly on two topics: the need for a life dependent upon God’s wisdom, and the dangers of adultery. So, these first verses of chapter six seem almost out of context, because they turn to the subject of how we should handle money, specifically the topic of lending:

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

    if you have struck hands in pledge for another,  
If you have been trapped by what you said,

    ensnared by the words of your mouth,  
then do this, my son, to free yourself,

    since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:

Go and humble yourself;

    press your plea with your neighbor! 
Allow no sleep to your eyes,

    no slumber to your eyelids. 
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

    like a bird from the snare of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:1-5)

In these verses of Proverbs, Solomon, very pointedly warns us to avoid lending money to a friend. In fact, he says, if you have already done this, don’t let another day go by without somehow freeing yourself from this pledge. He is emphatic about it! He uses the imagery of animals entrapped in a snare to demonstrate how lending money to another complicates the relationship. It almost seems as if a financial relationship is very similar to a sexual one. When you become entangled financially with a friend, the dynamics of the relationship will change - almost as if you are tied together as one. This is because our hearts are the storehouse of what we value.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

This is why it is so dangerous for us to become financially ensnared with another - especially with family and friends. If someone we care about comes to us and asks for a loan, we generally want to help. But lending money may not be the best way to help - in fact, Solomon seems to be putting up flashing lights here to warn us away from it. The minute we lend our money, we have complicated the relationship. This person has now become indebted to us, and we begin to feel proprietary toward that person. We think, “Surely, if I have loaned him the money, I should have some say in what he does with it!” It’s a slippery slope to disaster in the relationship!

So, what do we do if someone asks for financial assistance? What if your son or daughter comes to you and needs a loan? First PRAY about it. Maybe the LORD wants to use other means to help your child. There have been many times when I could have stepped in and helped my daughters financially in the past. Neither has ever asked for help, but there have been times when they could truly have used it. But I’ve never been led by the Lord to actually step in - and that has always turned out to be the right decision, because we have been able to see God work things out, instead of me! And His resolutions have always been amazing and brought Him great glory. In fact, He has built testimonies in their lives because of HIS faithfulness! They have seen that they are dependent upon HIM and not ME!

So, should we NEVER help someone out financially? Certainly not! It is clear throughout the scriptures that we should help out those in need. But we should not lend, we should GIVE as God leads us and enables us. All that we have is His, and we need to let it freely pass through our hands. That brings me to a topic for tomorrow: hoarding. I’ve been thinking about that this week, and I think it’s something we need to look at!  

Money, money, money!

Money is a problem! Or at least the lack of it... well, actually, the perceived lack of it... By any standard we Americans are the wealthiest people in the world - and yet we are in a bucket load of debt! Not just our nation, but individually! And January is the time when those financial chickens come home to roost! Whatever overspending we did in December to provide the presents for Christmas now stares us in the face as those bills start coming in this month! I almost was sick to my stomach this morning as I went to pay bills online!

I don’t know about you, but I love to shop for my girls and my grandchildren! It is so much fun! But I do know that I am not meeting their “needs” with my gifts, but rather taking care of my own “wants” by indulging them. Before Don retired, I never really thought much about the Christmas bills - just paid them. But now that we are living pretty much just on my dwindling teacher salary, I need to learn to budget! And I find myself thinking more about money than I used to... This is not good! In fact, focusing on money at all can be a spiritual problem.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Now, I don’t consider myself a “lover” of money. But just having it consume more of my thoughts than before shows me I’m in a struggle over it, and I need to guard myself from letting it entrap me! Don and I have never fought over money - it has never been an issue - even when we were first married and I was an at-home mommy and we could just barely cover our bills. But now that we are heading into those years when the financial stream becomes a trickle, I can see that I’m going to have to make some intentional choices to not let “financial security” become a stumbling block!

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)


Any worrying is a lack of faith, and worrying over finances is certainly a sign that we are not trusting God. He has promised that He will take care of ALL of our needs when we put Him first. As stewards of all God has given us, we DO have to take responsibility for our finances and plan for our future in a reasonable way, but we need to always remember that what God gives us is meant for His glory - not for our gratification.

What is the best way to keep a balanced approach to all things financial? I’m excited to see what Proverbs tells us about this topic! Tomorrow, we’ll look at the first few verses in Proverbs 6 to see what God says about lending. Interesting stuff!  

Happy New Year! Some Updates..

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed blessed holidays with family and friends! Today, it’s back to school for me! I had such a refreshing two weeks off, that I’m ready to get back to work and routine!

Don’t you love the promise of a new year? It’s like facing a blank sheet of paper. The old year, with it’s disappointments and hardships is gone, and we can face the new year with hope for a better tomorrow. Actually, EVERY day with God is like that! His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). No matter how we have failed Him one day, when we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive and give us a fresh start (1 John 1:9). I don’t know about you, but I constantly need a fresh start! So my hope, looking ahead to this new year, is that this will be a year of growth with God - that as we meet Him every morning in 2013, we will find ourselves increasingly changed into His image!

Before we move ahead in Proverbs, I wanted to update you on some we have been praying for. Please continue to keep my former student, Jacob, in your prayers. He has been through six rounds of chemotherapy for the Hodgkin’s disease, so he needs continuous prayer that the treatment will fight back the cancer and that he will be strengthened in his spirit as well as in his body.

And please continue to pray for my sister, Jodi, as she remains vulnerable to every illness while she is fighting multiple myeloma. She, too, needs to be strengthened and encouraged. May this be a year of victory and rest from further battles for both Jodi and Jacob!

Over the break, I was able to meet with my friend, Karen, the one who had the kidney transplant, and with her daughter, Kristen, my former student, who donated her kidney to her mom. What a testimony they are! They are both doing so well - you would never know that they have only just recently been through such serious surgery! Thank you, LORD, for that you are not only willing, but you are ABLE to heal those for whom we pray!!

Finally, if you know me at all, you know I shamelessly promote my two daughters! Not because I think they are so special (although I certainly DO think that), but because I am excited about where the LORD leads them! Molly and her family have been working on their Project Blessing Bags, and have received enough donations to put together 150 bags to distribute to the homeless. We will be putting the bags together on January 20th. If you are interested in this project, please click here. Meanwhile, Emmy is in the midst of planning her Choose Joy event, a conference for those who have struggled with infertility and/or adoption. We all know young couples who have been affected by this! Please check out her link here and share it with friends who may be interested. Okay, tomorrow we begin in earnest to catch up with the Proverbs! We will be in chapter 6, a most practical chapter!