Three nights ago night I promised to share thoughts on the final item of Solomon’s Proverbs 6:16-19 list of ‘things’ that God detests. My apologies for being late with this Part 3; there were unforeseen family needs that took priority.

The last item on Solomon’s numbering of six or seven ‘abominations’ is listed at verse 19b, which reads, “one who stirs up strife among brothers.” To understand this description we should determine what the original Hebrew of the key words mean. Firstly, the Hebrew word (shâlach) rendered ‘stirs up’ here is rendered ‘sows’ in some versions, but it also has the following meanings: to send out, to let go, to extend, to direct, to let loose, to set free, to cast out, to put forth, spread, or stretch out. ‘Strife’is rendered in some versions as ‘discord’, and the Hebrew derivative (medân) has only one additional meaning – ‘contention’.  The Hebrew word rendered ‘brothers’ here (or ‘brethren’ in some translations) is from âkh, and does not only mean male relatives who share the same father and / or mother. It more broadly means relatives of either gender, or kindred, or persons of the same tribe. So let’s keep the ‘sisters’ also in mind while we read this Scripture.

The character that Solomon is describing here is one who deliberately does and / or says things intended to cause strife, sow discord or stir up contention between or among ‘kindred’ – including spiritual brothers and sisters. However you paint ‘strife’, it’s the opposite of unity and harmony. The gamut of emotions resulting from strife may run from uneasiness (loss of peace) to fear, hurt, anger, or resentment; and the gamut of reactions to strife may run from avoidance to malice or arguments, quarrelling or physical fights and their various possible outcomes.  Both men and women, boys and girls, are susceptible to being stirred up toward strife. The hot tempered may react differently from the mild-mannered, but both can be affected. As my friend Pastor Rawle would say, “Not good!”

As the various definitions of the Hebrew word medân suggest, strife can be stirred up by words (or actions* – for example even body language) sown like seeds, sent out (perhaps through gossip), cast/thrown out like bait, let loose instead of discreetly silenced, spread around, directed/targeted, stretched out (exaggerated or prolonged). This refers to deliberate mischievous action, not innocent remarks or actions perceived as offences by overly sensitive persons who easily ‘take’ offence. Neither does it refer to words spoken or actions taken in careful obedience to the conflict resolution guidance of Matthew 18:15-17.

[It took me a while to think of an example of specific actions that could stir up strife; then the Holy Spirit reminded me of an incident from when I was about 17. I had a boyfriend, but soon it seemed to me that the relationship was getting too ‘heavy’ for my age, and I broke it off. No sooner had that happened than his brother invited me to a movie. We had all been friends together in a group anyway, so I accepted the invitation without much thought. When I got home, my Dad called me into his room and delivered a stern lecture, pointing out the seriousness of what I had done – I had carelessly risked stirring up strife between two brothers!]

Now let’s address the question of why strife-mongering is so detestable to The LORD. I believe it is because God wants above all to bless us and to protect us from evil. Strife-mongering not only hinders His blessings but also plays into the hands of His enemy – our adversary, the devil. Let’s examine God’s words in the following Scriptures:

Psalm 133:1-3 (Amplified Bible) says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! ^2. It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head, coming down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron, coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body]. ^3. It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon coming down on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.”

God wants to pour down blessings on us, His children (the brothers and sisters brought into His family through Yeshua the Messiah/ Jesus the Christ). He wants to pour them down as copiously as He pours down the famous dew on Mount Hermon[1], which flows on down to water the mountains of Zion. He wants to pour the blessings down with as much divine anointing as the consecrated oil symbolized, when it was poured down on Aaron’s head, to flow down over his whole body.” Notice how the word ‘down’ is being repeated, bringing to mind “every good and perfect gift coming down from the Father” (James 1:17) and not just pooling on the head but flowing on down to anoint and bless the whole body. However, from the first verse of Psalm 133:1 we learn of one prerequisite for the pouring down of Gods blessing: brethren dwelling together in unity.

Knowing these facts, while God wants to bless us, the devil wants to rob us of the opportunity to be blessed – to even kill us individually if he can, and to destroy the family of God. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!” (Who are the ‘they’? From the context, John 10:1-18, they are those who follow Yeshua and whom He brings into the family of God – those brothers and sisters who come into the family through Yeshua’s having laid down His life for them.)

1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world.”

Galatians 5, which lists ‘strife’ as a work on the flesh (verse 20), also warns at verse 15, “If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not destroyed by one another.” In other words, don’t aid and abet the devil in his devouring, destructive attacks on God’s family – your brothers and sisters – by the sin of stirring up strife.

Indeed, one of the devil’s strategies is to bring forward accusations against God’s people. In fact, the word ‘satan’ means ‘accuser’ as well as ‘adversary’. Zechariah 3:1 says, “Then he showed me Joshua the kohen gadol (high priest) standing before the angel of Adonai and the satan (the accuser, the adversary), standing at his right hand to accuse him.” (This scenario shows the devil personally appearing before God to deliver an indictment against God’s servant, but on earth satan would have launched the accusations through the mouths of people who deliberately or ignorantly lent him their voices.)

Psalm 133 speaks of unity among brethren. As one final consideration, let me quote from Asher Intrater’s comments on Yeshua’s famous John 17 prayer for unity in His Body: “The reference to our becoming ‘One’ in Him is found 5 times in John 17, while the reference to Yeshua’s glory or our being glorified in Him is found 8 times. … There is a difference between union and unity. Yeshua’s primary prayer is for us to become ‘One’ with Him and the Father. It is a prayer for our union with God. Certainly if we become one with God, we will become one with one another. However the union with God takes precedence over our unity with one another.”

Considering all of the above, we may now need to make yet another resolution for the rest of 2021, and I suggest this. Let us resolve to abstain from advancing satan’s agenda by stirring up strife among our brethren. Let us resolve to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to bridle our tongues, and grant more self control (Spirit-led control) over not only our words but also over any of our actions which could cause strife (since actions can speak louder than words). Let us resolve to become blessed peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and also peace keepers (as much as it depends on us – Romans 12:18). These resolutions may require daily prayer, in order for these fruit of the Spirit to grow and develop till they become ‘second nature’ in our lives.

Then all heaven will rejoice, as a prelude to Revelation 12:10 which says, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters—the one who accuses them before our God day and night — has been thrown out.'”

So let it be! Help us Father, to grow in these graces as 2021 progresses, in Yeshua’s Name I pray, amen!

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[1] See https://engediresourcecenter.com/2015/07/02/tal-the-dew-of-unity/

Yesterday I shared thoughts on some attitudes which the Bible expressly says that God loves, encouraging us to use our New Year Resolution energies in seeking to emulate those Godly character traits. Today I invite you to take a look at the other side of God’s heart – the things He dislikes to the point of inspiring the strongest language in the Bible to describe His dislike. These are attitudes and behaviours we should want to avoid. They should lead us to resolutions that declare, “I resolve to not do that, or not be that way any more, but rather, to do and be the opposite!”

For our benefit God had Solomon list the things He detests, conveniently in one single passage, Proverbs 6:16-19, which says:

¹⁶ Six things Adonai (The LORD) hates,
yes, seven are abominations to Him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that plots wicked schemes,
feet that run to evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who spouts lies,
and one who stirs up strife among brothers.

I used to wonder why Solomon first says ‘six things’ and then expands the list to seven abominations, but the reason seems to be the repetition of one particular character trait – dishonesty. Verse 17 lists “a lying tongue” and verse 19 lists “a false witness who spouts lies.” Solomon saw fit to differentiate between simple fabrication (generally telling tall tales) and specifically spouting falsehoods about someone (giving a false testimony).

This difference reminds me of something I overheard when I was a young teen. My parents had occasion to confront a young man in the district where we lived, about his attempt to deceive them about something. When they used the word “lie” the youth retorted, “Mi no tell lie! Mi ongle chat weh nuh guh suh!” (I don’t tell lies! I only say things that are not factual.) He seemed to mean that if his report was a simple fabrication that did not make it a lie. It only seemed to him to be a lie if it was damaging to someone. This lie about lies may be a more common deception than we think.

It’s no accident that lying is the only trait which is repeated in this list of abominations to The LORD. To me it’s obvious that God really detests lying and loves honesty. Proverbs 12:22 states both sides: “Lying lips are detestable to Adonai, but those who act faithfully are His delight.” However, Scripture does not acknowledge the existence of such things as “a little white lie” or “a big, fat lie.” To God, the deliberate communication of a falsehood is lying, and the one who makes a habit of communicating falsehoods is a liar. Ouch, that may sound harsh, so rather than present other Scriptures which show the final outcome of habitual lying (Scriptures which may sound even harsher) I’ll go back to underscore the positive side of Proverbs 12:22, “Those who act faithfully are His delight.” On that verse we can build a double-edged resolution, resolving on one edge to avoid lies like the plague, and on the other edge resolving to communicate and behave as ‘faithfully’ (truthfully, trust-worthily) as possible, going forward in 2021.

Solomon’s list had started with “haughty eyes” (“a proud look” in another translation). This is a manifestation of pride. God’s detesting of pride is not just in His heart; it affects His actions and His responses to us. A truth repeated three times in Scripture says “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) If you feel as if God has been resisting you in 2020 (if you felt as if His hand was pushing back against you) then it’s time to make a new resolution to act on the advice Peter’s offers immediately after re-stating the facts of Proverbs 3:34. He says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up at the appropriate time.”

The world system does not value humility, but God does. If we’re seeking to please our God rather than seeking praise from the world, let’s resolve to humble ourselves before the Lord and towards each other (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5) so that His mighty hand will graciously propel us forward rather than resist us as we venture into 2021.

The most ‘obvious’ abominations in Solomon’s listing are “hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, and feet that run to evil” (verses 17-18). These are things all right thinking people would normally avoid, and may not even need to make resolutions in this regard. However, as the world turns in 2021, we may see evil being called good to an even greater extent than it has been in recent years; so it is wise to arm ourselves in advance with the resolve to resist the devil’s ever-evolving attempts to involve us in the shedding of innocent blood (for example unborn babies), the planning of ungodly schemes that lead to damaging outcomes for others, and the mindless rush toward evil actions and evil destinations that sometimes happens to a mob. Yes, let’s resolve to continue, against all odds, to agree with God in what He calls evil and what He calls good, regardless of the moral decay with which the world attempts to infect us.

Finally, Solomon’s list of things that God detests ends with “one who stirs up strife among brothers.” Wow, why is that such anathema to God? That’s a good question, which calls for a careful answer, tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will only be January 3. We’ll have 362 more days to implement the resolution we can get out of this last verse. May God bless you out of this blog theme thus far.

It’s New Year’s Day by the Gregorian Calendar, January 1. This is the time when many across the globe consider making what we call New Year Resolutions – decisions about what we ‘resolve’ to change in our behavior, whether that means to start doing certain things, stop doing certain things, do certain things differently, or all of the above. Many view January 1 as a day to ‘turn over a new leaf.’

If you’re considering what resolutions to make, my encouragement to you this New Year’s Day is the same encouragement I give to myself at various times throughout the year – that any resolution worth making at any time should be aimed at aligning our behavior more closely with God’s expressed will. And guess what?  Firstly, it’s not hard to know His will for our behavior; and secondly, God will help us to stick to our resolutions if we truly seek His help.

Here are some of what God loves, and would love us to pattern in our own behaviour.

GIVING.  2 Corinthians 9:7 – “God loves a cheerful giver.” So let us resolve to be cheerful givers. From what God blesses us with, let us resolve to cheerfully return His due toward the work of His Kingdom, and also to cheerfully contribute toward meeting the needs of others.

JUSTICE.  Psalm 37:28 – “The Lord loves justice…”  Isaiah 61:8 – “I, the Lord, love justice…” And He doesn’t just say He loves justice but He demonstrates that love by His actions. Psalm 103:6 – “The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.” (Psalm 103:6 makes a neat mini-study, from the Hebrew derivatives and the rendering of different reliable translations, but that’s for another blog.) Be that as it may, God spells out His will for us through Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” So, for our part now, let us resolve to love justice and to act on that love in defence of the oppressed.

LOVE OF MANKIND.   John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (My underlining shows that this verse speaks of God’s great love for all mankind, not ‘the world’ system, as other Scriptures clarify[1]. Also, I’m using the Greek root word ‘agape’ throughout this paragraph to differentiate this love from the simply romantic or familial or friendly or sentimental emotions that are commonly called ‘love’ even when not self-less. To adapt a definition from Christianity.com, “Agape love is unconcerned with the self and concerned with the greatest good of another. Agape isn’t born just out of emotions, feelings, familiarity, or attraction, but [originates] from the [Divine] will and [is ‘actioned’] as a choice. Agape requires faithfulness, commitment, and sacrifice without expecting anything in return.”)  God’s will for us with regard to agape is crystal clear in 1 John 3.  Verse 23 – “Now this is His commandment—that we should believe in the name of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), and love (agape) one another, just as He commanded us.” Verse 11 – “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning—we should love (agape) one another.”  1 John 4:7 – “Let us love (agape) one another, for (agape) love is from God,” and verse 11 – “If God so loved us, we also ought to love (agape) one another.” Now the final word for us, in terms of making and ‘actioning’ a new resolution, is in 1 John 3:18 – “Let us not love (just) with word or talk, but (also) in deed(s) and truth!” As we embark on 2021, let’s resolve to do the actions that demonstrate the love we say that we have for our fellowmen!

LOVE FOR ISRAEL & JERUSALEM.   Deuteronomy 7:8 – “Because of His love for you (addressing Israel) and His keeping the oath He swore to your fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), Adonai (The LORD) brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  Psalm 87:2 – “Adonai loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.”  Zechariah 1:14 – “Then the angel speaking to me said, ‘Cry out saying, thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot (The Lord of Hosts), “I am exceedingly zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.’” In case we should think this is just a personal ‘thing’ with God that He does not necessarily wish us to emulate, see Psalm 122:6 – “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem —‘May those who love you be at peace!’” So in 2021, even if the whole world seems to turn against Israel, against Jerusalem, against Zion, let us resolve to swim against that tide with great splashing, leading others along in our wake, to love (agape) Israel, its people, and Jerusalem as God does.

LOVE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE RIGHTEOUS.  Psalm 33:5 – “He (The LORD) loves righteousness and justice.”  Psalm 146:8b – “The Lord loves the righteous.” Loving righteousness (actions defined by the word of God as being right) and the righteous (the persons who do and defend those actions based on God’s say-so) is not in vogue nowadays. Because the proponents of humanism (with its man-made standards of right and wrong) have been more vociferous than the proponents of Biblical righteousness, they have captured much public listenership and favour. However, let the remnant who still honour the word of God above every contrary word not only stand up in 2021 to be counted, but also proclaim their righteous messages loudly enough to be heard above the contrary din. And let us resolve to publicly declare and show our love for the righteous message, the messengers of righteousness, and the doers of righteous actions. (For clarity on ‘the righteous’ see Romans 3:22, and 2 Corinthians 5:21b)

LOVE OF CORRECTION AND THOSE NEEDING CORRECTION.  Proverbs 3:12 – “Adonai (The LORD) loves those He reproves, even as a father, the son in whom he delights.” Hebrews 12:6 – “Adonai (The LORD) disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He accepts.” Even as we carry over to 2021 hard lessons learned from 2020 experiences, let us resolve to (1) remain open to Divine correction through God’s word and the delegates through whom the Holy Spirit might minister them to us, and (2) maintain a heart of agape love toward others who need correction. God loves them and so must we. In the case of those who don’t see their need for correction, and to whom it makes no sense to offer Biblical correction, let God see us lovingly snatching them from peril through intercessory prayer this year, until we can do or say more.

With help from the writer at https://shepherdofhope.org/six-things-the-lord-loves/, I have listed six things that the LORD positively loves, for our consideration as we make resolutions (now or on any other ‘today’ during the year). Tomorrow I will invite you to consider some things that the LORD positively abhors – for your consideration of what to avoid as we venture into resolutions for the rest of 2021. God bless you!

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[1]  See 1 John 2:15-17