September 1, 2021

Proverbs 6:12-19

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
He winks with his eyes,
He shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
Perversity is in his heart,
He devises evil continually,
He sows discord.
Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;
Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

Solomon moved from the idea of the lazy man (Proverbs 6:6-11) to the worthless and wicked man. These sinful characteristics are often related and combined. Walks with a perverse mouth: One of the main features of the worthless and wicked person's manner of life (his walk) is the corruption of his speech. He has a perverse mouth, which mainly has the idea of crooked or corrupt, more than what we would think of as moral perversion. What he says isn't straight, honest, and right. Winks with his eyes: With his eyes, his feet, and his fingers, the worthless and wicked man shows his crooked and dishonest character. Evil and discord come from his life. His calamity shall come suddenly: Solomon did not directly attribute this calamity or breaking (he shall be broken) to the judgment of God, but it is implied. God knows how to set the cynical, crooked-speaking man or woman in their deserved place.

These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven 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.

Several times in the book of Proverbs, Solomon used this expression to give a list. Here the list is of things that the Lord hates, that are an abomination to Him. Solomon listed these seven sins.
· A proud look
· A lying tongue
· Hands that shed innocent blood
· A heart that devises evil plans
· Feet that are swift in running to evil
· A false witness who speaks lies
· One who sows discord among brethren

Most of these sins are connected to something we do, in or through our body. The eyes have a proud look, the tongue lies, and so on. We are again reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans about presenting the parts of our body (our members) to God for the work of righteousness, not sin (Romans 6:13). This collection of seven sins is also focused on how we treat others. We must honor God and worship Him in spirit and in truth, yet God is also concerned about how we treat others. Each of these are serious sins against others. One who sows discord among brethren: This is presented as the result of the previous six or the ultimate among them. It is one of the highest among the things that God hates and regards as an abomination.