Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
I would get up at 5 am and get showered and dressed. The family I was staying with would pray on Sundays from 5.30 am till 6.30 am (weekdays were 5 am till 6 am). I would join them in the living room as we knelt together and poured out our hearts to God. There was a tangible sense of the peace and love of God in the room as we prayed and sang and prayed. I would hear the door hinges throughout the hour as people from all over the town would have walked to come and join the prayer meeting.
After a hasty slice of toast and marmalade, I was off to the Pastor’s house. There we would talk and sometimes have cereal together. Sleepy eyed kids joining us in their pj’s. Tea was made, conversations were around the beauty of Christ and the Sunday ahead.
We were off in the car to the building we used for the church. I would put out the chairs, set up the kid’s area, and the kitchen. Then jump into the church minibus and be off on my rounds to collect those people who would struggle to get to church without this help.
Once we were back and the service was started I would take the children out and run the Sunday-school programme. Then the big tidy up after everyone had left. Into the car and a long drive on single track roads to a local small fishing port where we held another service in the village hall.
Back down the road and set up for the evening service, and then the big tidy up. Back to the pastor’s house for snacks and late night tv together.
I loved those days with my pastor. He spoke of life and hope. He taught me to go to the bible for myself and start to understand what was there. He brought unity and fellowship to the people he cared for, and he had an insatiable hunger for the Holy Spirit.
KNOWLEDGE
These are the sixth and seventh things that the Lord hates. Once again we see a foreshadowing of Christ in this scripture. The false witness and the sowing of discord.
We can see a glimpse of John 12:5 here as Judas asks why the perfume was not sold for money and given to the poor. He is challenging Jesus’ ways of seeing things within the brotherhood of the disciples but not to Jesus’ face. He has an ulterior motive that links back to the previous verses where a lying tongue and wicked plans are mentioned. Judas is not concerned about the poor, that is his public face, in reality, he recognises a missed opportunity for his own benefit.
Then we consider the false witness of Mark 14:56, where the writer says, “Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree”.
I think we are always searching for glimpses of Christ in the Old Testament, and it thrills our souls when we see a new revelation.
For me reading afresh the seven things that the Lord hates, and seeing how each one of them played a direct role in the death of His only Son brings a deeper clarity on the horror of sin, and an additional appreciation for the saving love of God.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word used for “brothers” in Hebrew is pronounced as ” ‘ah” and this word appears 621 times in the Old Testament. In the ESV, this word is translated into English words such as brother; kinsman; another; relatives; and, companions.
In our reading of verse nineteen, we see the idea of family, that those damaged by the actions of this person are people close to them.
WISDOM – what are you sowing in others minds and lives today?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Empathy, you understand that connection trumps response. You build a bridge of trust that helps others download their torrent.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [a deceptive testimony, blowing delusion, releasing strife and dissension into the family.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to have words of life, and hope, and healing, come from within me, from your leading each day. Thank you.
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