God hates things? Proverbs 6:16

There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Proverbs 6:16

God hates things?  This seems so strange to some people who do not know God's holiness and justice.  Their view of God is of a loving, tolerant, indulgent father who would never do anything mean - and certainly does not hate anyone or anything - except maybe what they hate.  The Bible teaches differently than this. 

Note here that Jehovah speaks of six "things" which He hates.  The word for hate here is "sane" which means to hate, detest, to dislike or be hostile to something or someone - to loathe.  Wow, that's a strong word isn't it.  The thought that God actually hates and loathes something may be new to you - but let's go on to see just what it is that He loathes and hates. 

Next we read that there are not just six - but seven things which are an abomination to Him.  Abomination is "toebah" and means something patently offensive - something which God loathes and dislikes to the extreme.  In the Old Testament this word applies to such things like idolatry, child sacrifice, intermarriage by Israel with the wicked nations around them, the false religious activities of the wicked, and homosexuality.  God is holy and is completely separate from sin and wickedness.  We must grasp His essential nature of holiness or such passages as these will not make any sense to us.  More than this they will tend to offend us - if we do not grasp the truth of God's nature and that things sinful are offensive to Him.

Wisdom is realizing that though God is love - He is also a holy God who hates sin.  Those who fail to consider God's holiness and hold fast only to a nature of love wind up justifying and accepting sin in the end.  I know that it is difficult to consider and think of God in this way - as a God Who is angry - to the point of hate and considering things an abomination.  Yet doing this can be very helpful to us.  It will help us in the area of seeing sin as utterly sinful - and seeing outright rebellion and perversion of what God desires as very dangerous.  Remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  It is a good thing to look at certain sins and just simply be scared of committing them - because we know our holy God hates them intensely.