IT IS NORMAL TO PREFER TO THINK ABOUT GOD’S POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES. I’m sure most readers would rather meditate on what God loves rather than what he hates. A favorite verse of most is “God is Love” (1 John 4:16), and we are so thankful that this is true.

But the Bible also talks much about who and what God hates. For example, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Malachi 1:2-3). God hates some people? Yes! And, this truth is a sobering reality.

In addition, God hates sin. Proverbs 6 lists “six things God hates, seven that are an abomination to him.” Hatred is a strong term. The word “abomination” is ever stronger. Therefore, we should think about these sins and do everything possible to avoid them.

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.

Proverbs 6:16-19

This text is especially applicable to the state of civil discourse in America. Our current political and cultural life is totally apathetic to sins that God hates or abominates. We are rightfully concerned about “hate crimes” against people. But we should be much, much more concerned about fleeing what God hates. By the way, God hates are what we call hate crimes, i.e. calling sexual perversion sin.

By contrast, God’s hating is never a crime. It is always a virtue. Lets pause to apply the sins God hates or abominates that are systemic to our current political climate. For brevity I will apply all but the fourth and fifth.

First, God hates “haughty eyes”—looking down on others. This occurs when one party labels half the voting public a basket of deplorables, or Nazis, racists, or white supremaists.

Second, God hates “a lying tongue.” Propaganda is lying. Exaggeration is lying. Deliberate obfuscation of the truth is lying. This means God hates colluding to conceal the president’s dementia. It means lying about the existence of his dementia. It means lying about the economy, “Russia Gate,” etc. God hates it when government lies about anything. When government lying becomes a pattern, people lose all trust. When that happens conspiracy theories proliferate. That is our current situation.

Third, God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” Think abortion! Need I say more? The blood of sixty million innocents cries out for justice.

Fourth, God hates a “false witness who breathes out lies.” Jezebel destroyed Naboth by bribing false witnesses. To secure his condemnation, false witnesses testified against Jesus. Several YouTube videos record the hearings of presidential appointees to the federal bench. They are prime examples. The nominees often refuse to answer the senators questions, or they respond, “I don’t remember” even when they do remember, or they answer by changing the subject. These are false witnesses. God hates this activity, and we should also.

Fifth, God hates those “who sow discord among brothers.” Sowing discord is the “opus de Jour,” in Washington D.C.—the work of the day. Grievance studies departments at local university graduate students who pit Blacks against Whites; the Fat against the Skinny, men against women; Gays against Straights, Democrates against Republicans; and Hispanics against everyone else, and they populate Federal government jobs. Our moto is E Pluribus Unum. That’s Latin for “out of many one.” But our educational institutions and political establishment do the exact opposite. They divide one nation into many. God hates this.

How should we respond? If God hates the proliferation of these sins, you can be sure God will judge them. Therefore, our fervent prayer should be for mercy. As a citizen of the United States come before God and confess our corporate sins. “God, forgive us for arrogance, divisiveness, lying, and giving false wintess.” Then plead with him for mercy. God’s people have a strong hope. “He is slow to anger, abounding in steafast love and mercy” (Exodus 34).