Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:  

Proverbs 26:24-26 (KJV):
24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation.

Proverbs 26:24-26 (AMP):
24 He who hates pretends with his lips, but stores up deceit within himself.
25 When he speaks kindly, do not trust him, for seven abominations are in his heart.
26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile, his wickedness shall be shown openly before the assembly.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses from Proverbs tell us that a person who speaks nicely with his mouth, but inwardly is deceitful, will eventually be found out by all. This kind of person is a person with guile, which means they are sly and cunning when dealing with others. They are hypocrites as well, because they say kind things and speak nice to one's face, but within their heart they do not mean it. In fact, they are storing up evil things to use against people for their own advantage.

Verse 25 warns us not to believe people like this, as they have seven abominations in their heart.  The abominations that this verse is making reference to are the ones listed in Proverbs 6:

Proverbs 6:16-19:
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Notice before God lists murder, that first comes pride, then lying. Before someone commits murder they will have yielded to pride and lying. The shedding of innocent blood is something God hates, and yet He must endure seeing this sin committed many times every day.  Not only are people shot down and killed, but tiny innocent babies in the wombs of their mothers are murdered by abortion, mainly due to the selfishness of their mothers and fathers. Abortion is shedding the blood of the most innocent and helpless human beings, the unborn children.

The next thing that grieves the heart of God is the sin of those with wicked imaginations who are devising evils. These evils are not only destroying them, but others as well. Those that plot evil in their hearts to hurt others will eventually be exposed, but the damage they do along the way can only be repaired by applying God's remedies to the situations. 

Next listed is feet that are swift in running to do mischief. While God is merciful to those who are attempting to resist evil and yet fall into it, He hates the practice of those who throw restraints to the wind and quickly run to do evil.

He also hates the sin of one who lies against another, as a false witness. Gossip is a second cousin to this sin, as stories are repeated to others not on the basis of truth, but simply because someone spoke evil about someone. Lying about what one has witnessed is a serious sin before God and man.

The final thing on God's list is a sin that has been (and even now is being) committed in the house of God among brothers and sisters in the Lord -- the sin of sowing discord among the brethren. God hates it when we do not practice the love that He commanded us to practice.  We are to love one another. Notice that in the verses above, God says He hates the first six things and then adds that if we practice this last thing along with the others,  it becomes an abomination to Him. When something is an abomination to God, it is something He abhors.  Let us not be guilty of doing anything that God hates or abhors. Let us cry out for deliverance if we are guilty of any of these sins.  God loves us and will free us if we come to Him with an honest heart.

Verse 26 tells us that God will expose wickedness in time.  Those in the church who are causing division and stirring up trouble will eventually be exposed before the entire assembly.  There is another scripture that verifies this in the Old Testament:

Numbers 32:23b: "..... ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, We are grateful that You are a merciful God and we appreciate Your love toward us when we fail You. Lord, set us free from any trace of guile, and forgive those who have used treacherous words against us. Lord, warn us when people are trying to deceive us with smooth words, so that we are not tricked into any agreements that are not of You. Have mercy on those whose sins are exposed before all and cause their shame to turn them back to You in repentance. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.