Proverbs 10:12
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Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
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Strife, a word we do not use much today, means antagonism, enmity, discord, contention, or dispute. It is fighting and conflict. While it is godly to strive for truth against sin and error, here we have personal strife caused by the hatred of those who do not practice love.
Where there is envy, strife, enmity, conflict, or tension, all you need do is look a little deeper to find one or both parties guilty of hatred. Fighting and antagonism does not and cannot exist where each person is practicing Christian charity, or love.
But there are wicked persons, with hearts full of malice and hatred, which we all were by nature (Tit 3:3), who delight in stirring up contentions and quarrels by talebearing, whispering, evil surmising, and cursing. These profane persons have no conscience or compassion, as Ham and Shimei; and they shall receive a similar fate from the holy and just God and noble men (Gen 9:20-27; II Sam 16:5-14; I Kgs 2:8-9; Is 29:20-21).
Charity forgives sins and forgets sins, just as the Lord forgives and forgets them. Love hides and conceals sins under the same forgiving cover that Christ provides every saint. This is covering sin, and it is a rule of life for saints of the most High (17:9; Jas 5:20; I Pet 4:8). But hatred, growing from anger and pride, loves to dig up evil, spread evil reports, and create strife and trouble (15:18; 16:27-28; 26:21; 28:25; 29:22; Jas 4:1).
Can we cover sins like Joseph, whose brothers could not believe his forgiveness, even after many gifts, favors, and passage of much time (Gen 45:1-15; 50:15-21)? Lord, help us. He put the very best perspective on their horrible sin and wept over all of them. How did the Lord reward this one son of Jacob? He gave him two tribes in Israel (Josh 14:4)!
Here is a golden opportunity for child training for dedicated Christian parents. Children must be trained and corrected strictly in this matter of hatred and love, strife and peace, covering sins or spreading them. The natural antagonism of children creates a perfect setting for teaching love, graciousness, forgiveness, and peacemaking.
Love has many facets (I Cor 13:4-7), but our proverb emphasizes one of them - covering sins. Love overlooks offences against it; hatred gets offended, holds bitterness, or plots revenge. Love forgets and hides the sins of the repentant; hatred remembers them or spreads them to others. Love hears rumors, or even factual news of others' sins, but never repeats them; hatred craves private information and spreads it to any listeners.
Can we cover all sins, as the Preacher teaches here? Peter once sought a limit of seven times for covering sins, but our blessed Lord pressed him to seventy times seven (Matt 18:21-22)! How can we stir up trouble over a few pence, when our Lord has forgiven us ten thousand talents (Matt 18:23-35)! These things should never occur among those who name the name of Christ, and the judgment of the wicked servant is just and appropriate.
Covering sins is not compromise. It is not withholding Scriptural judgment, whether in the family, church, business, or nation. The rightful authority should speedily execute judgment, where God has ordained it. But covering sins should occur when they are against you, where there is repentance, or you are not in direct authority.
Hatred of sin is holy and good (6:16-19; Ps 45:7). But hatred of others, shown by anger at personal offences, ignoring repentance, whispering about sins, and talebearing is murder in God's judgment (Matt 5:21-26). It proves a person to be without eternal life and living for the devil with a spirit from hell (John 8:44; James 3:14-16; I John 3:15).
What if a person says, "Oh, how I love Jesus," but they stir up trouble, do not forgive personal offences, ignore repentance, and reveal sins to others? They are lying hypocrites, for the Bible says they are murdering descendants of Cain (I John 3:10-15).
Dear reader, let us take on the character of our Lord Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners. He has no use for the self-loving "righteous," for He knows the blackness of their hearts. Let us choose to forgive and cover sins in love, so that we might easily and honestly pray, "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."
Our lesson here is the basis for true peace - love. Where there is strife, contention, and tension, there is hatred lurking behind the false handshakes and lying words of murderers. It is our wisdom to live this lesson ourselves, avoid those wicked persons, and train such evil out of our children. Let us be the greatest peacemakers in the world by practicing the wisdom of this proverb. May the Lord Jesus grant us the grace and wisdom for the task.
Our lesson here is also the great gulf between the wise and foolish, between the righteous and wicked, between the sons of God and the sons of Belial. When Jesus met repentant sinners, He freely forgave them; when Pharisees see sinners, they despise them and hate God's full forgiveness (Luke 7:36-50; 15:25-32). But wicked persons shall have their day, as did the Jews. As the forgiving Lord did not forgive the Jews but miserably destroyed them, so shall these hateful, strife-causing murderers be burned up (Rev 21:8).
Where there is strife, there is hatred. Conflict cannot exist without hatred. And unless love prevails, the strife will get worse. Love does not fight - it covers offences and sins. It seeks peace and pursues it. It cannot tolerate strife; it tries to end it as soon as possible.
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