Abominations

7/23/12…This past week there was another passage coming to mind over and over. As I have prayed to God for wisdom, I do not want to blow through Proverbs in a couple of days. Instead I want to slow down and allow time for the words to soak in. In fact I feel there are words to digest which require time. I want to feel at peace before moving on. So I find myself stopping after chapter twelve and going back rereading the highlighted passages from the last week. One of those passages was in chapter six. When I first read it the last sentence really struck a chord with me. In this passage starting with verse 16, Solomon outlines six abominations to the Lord, and then adds a seventh, almost as if the seventh one is worse than the previous six. Whether or not this is the case or not, I am not sure.

The word abomination is a strong word. Within the context of the Bible whenever I hear of this I usually think of the Old Testament where in the Pentateuch the Lord shares abominations in His eyes. The one I seem to hear so often from pulpits is the one regarding homosexuals. So once again as I try to dig a little deeper, I look up the meaning of the word and find a list of the following definitions; abomination is anything greatly disliked or abhorred (to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe) or an intense aversion; a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.

In this context, I reread Proverbs and the list of the six abominations, all of which seem to make sense; a proud look, someone who lies, someone who murders, someone who devises wicked plans, those who run quickly seeking out evil, and those who speak false witness. I would not argue with any of these. They certainly are egregious and belong together. But the seventh one? I pause…then I read, and one who sows discord among brethren. One, I thought how unusual sowing discord is in the same list as murder. Two, I began to wonder if I do this in my life? Then I think about my past. Have I conducted myself in a way where I sowed discord among brethren? And what does discord really mean? Looking it up discord means in part a lack of harmony between persons or disagreement; difference of opinion; strife; dispute. So if I am sowing this among my brethren, then God views this along the same lines as murder. I am somewhat dumbfounded.

Five days later, my wife and I are going to church and a parishioner makes a snide comment about where we live and in a joking manner, they better make sure the Baptists don’t get hold of us first. Everyone around him laughs.

And then in the service, a person who is heading up the capital campaign makes a snide reference that we do not want others going to the Presbyterian or Baptist churches because the this church does not have the good facilities or such. As I listened to this, my heart sank. Is this really the reason to spend millions of dollars on building upgrades?

Keep in mind, this is only our third visit to this church, and as we have struggled to find a Spirit-filled church, hearing this was not good. I wonder if this qualifies as an abomination.

   

For some reason, I have a desire to hold this verse close to my heart on my continued journey. And I certainly wonder if I will ever outrun denominations; the answer is probably not. I can only hope I never contribute to this by railing against the very thing I detest. As I contemplate this more, the feeling I have is one of despondency, and I wonder if this is what God feels. Yes, the act itself is one of abomination. If indeed what I experienced is considered sowing discord, I find the resulting feeling I have is not anger, but a sad feeling of despondency, as if how is there any hope? Once realizing this, I realize the only answer is a Savior.

Indeed, the only logical answer God could provide human kind in our abominations is Grace.