“Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.” Proverbs 26:24-26
Devotional Thought For The Day
It is interesting that virtually everyone knows what hatred is and what hatred does, that it is evil and dangerous. As a consequence, hatred generally requires disguise and deception. Otherwise, the one who hates can be defended against – so that he is not able to do the harm that his evil heart desires. So he hides his hatred behind nice words and a smiling face, a handshake and a pat on the back – but the knife is always close at hand looking for opportunity. Since most people recognize the grotesque evil of such hatred, the one who is discovered to be hateful, evil, and malicious suffers censure and perhaps even expulsion. This is counterproductive for the hater, so one’s hatred must be hidden and the evil it begets done secretly. This too is recognized as a great evil – an intentional isolating of oneself so that others cannot properly know him. The hater has in fact already expelled himself from decent society.
Such deception requires a great deal of effort and energy – to make sure that no indication of one’s hatred accidentally slips out or becomes visible. So for most people – with the exception of the cleverest liars and most despicably evil – a person’s hatred and evil is eventually exposed and becomes public knowledge. A casual comment, a glare or scowl, or some other subtle indication provides a glimpse into the hater’s heart and malice. And of course hatred always begets some evil and hurtful behavior toward the one hated – that is the whole point and goal of hatred, to inflict some harm. Hatred always requires some expression. Sooner or later people are going to put the pieces together and figure out that the hurtful behavior is not “accidental” or caused simply by stupidity – but is intentional, evil, hateful, and malicious. When the hatred is exposed there will be consequences – isolation and perhaps even retribution. No one can stand such wickedness and hypocrisy!
So, it is always better to deal appropriately with the anger and hatred that arises in our hearts – to remove it! Fortunately, God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, His gracious forgiveness and mercy is just the healing remedy we need for removing this great evil from our hearts and minds. First, we recognize that hatred is evil and that we need to repent of it. Second, that we truly grasp the nature of God’s gracious mercy and love for us, that even such treacherous evil has been paid for in Christ’s suffering and death and is forgiven. Third, to understand that if God has so loved us we ought also to love one another, all others, in the same manner – with gracious mercy and forgiveness, with love and good will, even toward those who have grievously sinned against us [including those who hate us and have engaged in malicious behavior against us – see Luke 6:27]. And God’s love has the power to effectively remove all anger, hatred, and malice from our hearts – although it may take many applications and doses of His love to soothe and heal some of our scars.
So the proverb should help us first with our own temptations to hatred, evil, and wicked hypocrisy – that we repent, receive healing in Christ’s love, and become lovers of others. Second, the proverb should help us to understand the wickedness of others that sometimes impacts us – that we be prepared to forgive and love, and hopefully provide healing for others in God’s love, rather than harboring animosity and hatred and seeking retribution. Third, the proverb should help us corporately, as “the assembly,” that we protect others even as we seek to heal those caught in hatred – including their expulsion from the assembly if there is no repentance. In that the evil of hatred and the wickedness of covering over one’s malicious intents is so universally recognized, it is startling that so much hatred continues to exist – and this gives us greater understanding of the pervasive power of sin. This also gives us greater understanding of the wondrous greatness and power of God’s great love for us in Christ Jesus – and the miracle of His healing. May we all be blessed to participate in this ongoing healing by genuine faith and trust in Jesus, by truly knowing God’s great love for us.
Scripture Cited
Luke 6:27,28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, You know perfectly the horrid dynamics of human sin, including the utter darkness of hatred. You have suffered such hatred since mankind’s fall into sin, and You suffered the guilt and punishment for all human sins, including our hatred. Help us to be fully repentant of this sin, and by the power and warmth of Your love help us to remove all hatred, malice, and hypocrisy from our hearts and minds. Protect us also from the hatred and malice of others, especially those who treacherously cover their evil intents until we are vulnerable to their attack. Preserve Your church as well, and make it a haven of love and decency, a place of genuine healing and peace. Amen.