By Pr Isaiah White
This is the final of the four episodes in which we discuss the seven things God despises.
Quoting Proverbs 6:16-19: “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
We have already covered five of them in the last three issues. So, let us move to the last two.
God hates false witness
There are real-life examples of the problem of false witnesses in modern history.
One of these is the case of Darryl Hunt, an African-American man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who founded the Darryl Hunt for Freedom and Justice in 1984.
Hunt was convicted of the rape and murder of a white woman named Deborah Sykes in 1984.
Despite the fact that there was no evidence linking him to the crime, he was sentenced to life in prison by an all-white jury.
Hunt was actually cleared of the rape in 1994 after DNA testing revealed that he had never committed the crime.
Despite the fact that the rape was central to the overall crime, he was imprisoned for an additional nine years until a man named Willard Brown confessed to both acts.
Hunt was finally exonerated in 2004 after serving nineteen years in prison.
Since his release, he has worked with The Innocence Project and established the Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice, and Darryl Hunt Freedom Fighters, to assist other wrongfully convicted men and women.
There are many cases like this around the world, with many people in prisons because of individuals giving false witness against them.
The Bible records people who gave false witness against others and eventually against God Himself.
– Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph (Genesis 39:7-20).
– The false witnesses against Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16).
– The false witnesses against Stephen (Acts 6:8-15).
– The false witnesses against Jesus (Matthew 26:57-61).
We have seen how God despises liars in previous episodes. So, what is the difference between a lying tongue and a false witness who breathes out lies?
The distinction is that, unlike ordinary liars, a false witness tells a lie with the intent to harm and incriminate the other person. God’s wrath and hatred are directed at this goal.
False witness is a practical attack on fellow humans that not only physically harms them but also harms a person’s reputation.
False witness is an attack on the structure of truth and evidence, and most importantly, on justice. A false witness misleads the judge and abuses justice, which God despises.
God hates discord
God is not the God of confusion. Our God is a God of unity and harmony, and not discord and disharmony. He hates division. So, the agents of discord are subject to divine wrath and hatred.
Sowing discord is when you alienate people from others. It means to cause disunity, disagreement, disharmony, variance, conflict, non-cooperation, friction, tension, enmity, mistrust, and suspicion among others, often motivated by a desire for self-worship (Proverbs 6:12-14).
A story is told of four pastors who were sitting down for lunch.
Having just read James 5, in which James urges his readers to confess their sins to one another, one suggested that they practiced what they had read.
They all agreed, and so the first pastor said: “I have been a little dishonest with the Church books, labelling personal expenses as ministry expenses.”
The second admitted: “In order to deal with the stress of ministry, I have turned to alcohol and, on more than one occasion, have gotten drunk.”
The third confessed: “I have been unwise with my finances and so have had to resort to gambling in the hopes of striking it rich.”
The fourth pastor dropped his head and said quietly: “I battle with gossip, and right now I can’t wait to get out of here!”
The fourth pastor could not wait to sow discord. And there is perhaps nothing that God hates more than such intentions.
Titus 3:2 says: “Speak evil of no man”. Ephesians 4:31 says: “Let all evil speaking be put away from you”. And James 4:11 says: “Speak not evil one of another.”
If we see something in another person that needs correction, we should follow the instructions which Jesus gave as recorded in Matthew 18:15-17, and go and speak directly with the offending person.
The writer is a life coach and theologian.
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