Proverbs 8:13
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The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
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Fear and hate are good! They are essential to success with God and men! Fearing God is hating sin. The fear of the LORD, a reverential desire to please Him, is measured by your hatred of the things He hates. Four sins are listed here for you to hate, if you intend to truly please God and be wise. Lady Wisdom speaks here of her hatred for these four sins.
The fear of the LORD is the greatest duty and goal of life. Solomon made this inspired conclusion after testing every possible reason for living with extensive experiments (Eccl 5:7; 8:12; 12:13). It is the first and greatest pursuit of godly men. You cannot love God rightly until you fear Him, for loving Him is His commandment (Deut 6:1-5; 10:12).
No man fears God by nature (Ps 36:1; Rom 3:18). It is the gift of God in a regenerated heart, but it is our duty to stir it up and put it into practice. It is the great prerequisite for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (1:7; 9:10; Ps 111:10), and it brings the great blessings of God (Ps 112:1; 115:13; 128:1; 145:19; 147:11; Luke 1:50).
Our effeminate and perverse generation condemns fear and hate. Yet they fear Bible preaching and truth, for it proves their guilt; and they hate those who preach and live it, for they would limit their wicked activities! But their opinions do not matter compared to the wisdom of the Creator God and His inspired Scriptures. Fear and hate are still good.
The fear of the LORD is a reverent desire to please God, which includes hating the things He hates. The blessed God of the Bible hates sin (6:16-19), and His saints are to hate sin as well. Fear and hate are good! So hate evil with God (Ps 97:10; Amos 5:15; Rom 12:9)!
Lady Wisdom hates pride, which is exalted thinking about yourself, leading to an attitude of superiority over and contempt for others. It is the inordinate self-esteem adored by this generation. God cast Satan out of heaven for pride (I Tim 3:6); and He will crush any man with a proud spirit, for we are nothing before Him and without Him (Ps 39:5; 62:9).
Lady Wisdom hates arrogance, which is aggressive pride in dealing with others. Pride is your attitude about yourself and others; arrogance is a haughty, condescending, conceited, and presumptuous treatment of others. It is the difference between being puffed up and vaunting yourself in Paul's definition of love (I Cor 13:5; Rom 12:16).
Lady Wisdom hates an evil lifestyle, which is sinful living with wicked habits. We are to avoid ungodly men and their deeds (Ps 1:1; 5:4-5; 101:3-8; I John 2:16). We are to love God's directions for each area of our lives and hate every other idea (Ps 119:128). Our blessed King Jesus was honored greatly for hating evil (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9).
Lady Wisdom hates a froward mouth, which is perverse, obnoxious, and wicked speech. Our words should feed and help others (10:21; 15:4; 16:24). God hates a froward and lying tongue (4:24; 6:12,17; 10:31; 12:19; 21:6). Solomon dedicated many proverbs to sound speech, as it is a common area of sin (10:19; 12:18; 15:1-2,28; 17:27-28).
Reader, do you hate these four things? Are all four of them out of your life? Wisdom will escape you, as long as you harbor any one of these specified sins. The true fear of the LORD will hate these things and tear every aspect of them out of your life (Ps 101:2-3). Do not claim to fear the LORD, if you hold on to even a single sin. To continue in your sins is to despise the LORD (14:2), and you shall bear your punishment!
The great men and women in the earth are those who fear the LORD. He is their God, and He will bless them abundantly (Ps 25:12-15; 128:1-6). Our blessed Lord feared God, and His prayers were heard (Heb 5:7-9). Let us follow His holy and perfect example.
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