Bible Verses About

Posts Tagged ‘hate evil’

“An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.” Psalm 36: 1-2

This is a really convicting Bible verse about pride.  I’ve found myself in this position before, flattering myself, justifying my actions, and not really caring about the fact that I’m in the wrong.  I think maybe we’ve all been there at one time or another.  In God’s eyes, this kind of pride is really disdainful.  Some Christians think it’s okay to live in this condition, not really ever wanting to think about their habitual sins, flattering themselves by the fact that they’re saved and don’t have to worry that much about it.  But that kind of attitude is simple pride and will keep you defeated and miserable for all the days of your life.

But that’s why I really love this verse.  It not only is a condemnation of the actions of the wicked, it also shows the right way we’re supposed to live.  It starts off by saying, “There is no fear of God before his eyes.”  That means that in order to avoid this kind of pride, we must first have the fear of the Lord.  Secondly, if we want to avoid this kind of pride, we need to hate our own sin.  Check out this verse from Proverbs:

“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance.” Proverbs 8:13

Now isn’t that interesting?  Solomon says that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.  Why is that?  The only possible answer really is that if God is really all that He says He is, is intensely personal and interested in our lives, and that sin and evil are powerful and are the barriers keeping us from from the plans that the Lord has for each of our lives, then if we really had reverence and fear of God, we would hate those things that are keeping our lives away from communion with Him and from His plans for our lives.

That’s why pride is so destructive.  When we say to ourselves, I don’t really need to change, I’m comfortable with how I’m living and don’t have the humility to confess my hidden sins, we’re keeping ourselves locked up in a position that’s truly miserable, and we don’t even know it.  That’s why Jesus said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation:

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17

Pride that keeps us from the fear of the Lord and an admission of our sins is really the worst possible condition that a Christian or anyone could live in.  The worst part about it is the fact that that kind of pride keeps us blind to just how miserable and pitiful we really are.  But if we just had for just one moment, the chance to see God’s true plan for our lives, we would hate the sin and evil that keep us trapped in chains and keep us away from all the wonders that God has planned for each of our lives before the world even began.