photo #9400267

Proverbs 6 names seven things the Lord hates. They are an abomination to Him.A proud look. A lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plans. Feet that are swift in running to evil. A false witness who speaks lies. And one who sows discord among brethren.That is the whole list. It is not a suggestion. It is not a mood. It is the standard.A proud look is the face that will not bow. A lying tongue is the mouth that treats truth like a tool. Hands that shed innocent blood are not an abstraction. They are hands. A heart that devises wicked plans does the work before the hands ever move. Feet that run to evil do not stumble into it. They hurry.A false witness is worse than a private liar. He puts the lie in public and asks other people to live under it. The one who sows discord among brethren splits a family, a church, a town, and calls the wreckage justice.I will not pretend this list is easy. I fail parts of it. Most of us do. Pride sneaks in. A story gets trimmed to make us look better. Anger gets a little too much air. The command is not to pretend we are finished. The command is to fight it anyway.We are told to do our best. That means telling the truth when a lie would be easier. It means keeping our hands off what is not ours to take. It means refusing to light a fire between neighbors just to feel righteous.This cartoon nails it because the list has not expired. The Lord has not changed His mind. The seven things He hates are still the seven things that wreck a soul and a country.We do not get a pass because the culture moved. We get a command. Do your best. Start with the one on that list you know is yours.