Seven Things God Hates? What This Shocking List Reveals About Your Heart—and Christ’s

What If God Has a “Hate List”?

When people imagine God, they often picture love, grace, and mercy. And rightly so. After all, the Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). But what happens when the Bible also says, in no uncertain terms, that God hates certain things?

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him…” (Proverbs 6:16)

That doesn’t just sound intense—it is intense. And it’s meant to be.

These verses from Proverbs 6:16–19 aren’t just a warning about bad behavior; they’re a window into the heart of God—what He values, what He despises, and why it matters for anyone who claims to follow Him.

Let’s explore not only what God hates—but also why, and what it reveals about how we should live, love, and walk in truth.

Section 1: The Literary and Theological Weight of Proverbs 6:16–19

A Unique List of Divine Disgust

The passage reads:

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:

• haughty eyes,
• a lying tongue,
• hands that shed innocent blood,
• a heart that devises wicked plans,
• feet that make haste to run to evil,
• a false witness who breathes out lies,
• and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16–19, ESV)

This poetic structure—“six, no, seven”—was common in Hebrew literature. It wasn’t about exact math; it was a rhetorical device to draw attention, heighten drama, and emphasize the final point in the list (which is often the climax).

This is not a random list of things God dislikes. It’s a spiritual x-ray—exposing the core of human rebellion and the behaviors that unravel community, corrupt truth, and oppose God Himself.

Section 2: What’s Beneath Each Sin?

1. Haughty Eyes — The Sin of Pride

• Pride elevates self above God and others.
• Pride was the original sin—Lucifer’s fall (Isaiah 14:13–14) and Adam’s rebellion (Genesis 3).
• Pride distorts truth. It turns a created being into a rival of the Creator. It resists correction, accountability, and grace.
• Christ exemplified humility (Philippians 2:5–8), though He had every right to be exalted.

Pride blinds us. “Haughty eyes” don’t just look down on others—they refuse to look up to God.

2. A Lying Tongue — The Sin of False Words

• God is truth; lying is a direct offense against His nature.
• Satan is called the “father of lies” (John 8:44).
• Lies destroy trust, twist justice, and break relationships.
• Christ, the Word made flesh, speaks only what the Father gives Him (John 12:49).

Words were meant to reveal, not conceal. Lies weaponize language, a divine gift, for manipulation.

3. Hands That Shed Innocent Blood — The Sin of Violence

• All human life bears the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
• Shedding innocent blood invites divine justice (Genesis 4:10; Proverbs 1:11–16).
• It devalues life, usurps divine authority, and mocks His justice.
• Jesus, the only truly innocent one, had His blood shed to save the guilty (Isaiah 53:5).

The gospel flips this sin on its head: the guilty are saved by the innocent One willingly giving His life.

4. A Heart That Devises Wicked Plans — The Sin of Intentional Evil

• God sees and judges the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:10).
• Sin is not just what you do, but what you desire (James 1:14–15).
• The heart is meant to treasure truth and meditate on God’s law (Psalm 1:2). To plot evil is spiritual treason.
• Jesus’ heart was pure, even unto death. He knew no sin, yet bore our wickedness.

This sin reminds us: evil is not an accident. It’s often the fruit of cultivated desires.

5. Feet That Run to Evil — The Sin of Eager Rebellion

• God calls us to walk in righteousness, not rush into ruin.
• The righteous walk carefully; the wicked stumble in darkness (Proverbs 4:14–19).
• This is not falling into sin—it’s chasing it. There’s willful love of wickedness.
• Jesus “set His face” toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51)—He ran not toward sin, but toward suffering, for our sake.

Feet are symbolic of one’s direction in life. The question isn’t just “What do you believe?” but “Where are you going?”

6. A False Witness Who Breathes Out Lies — The Sin of Injustice

• God is just. False testimony perverts justice and destroys the innocent.
• Bearing false witness is a direct violation of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16).
• It weaponizes lies to destroy others legally and socially.
• Jesus was condemned by false witnesses who twisted the truth (Matthew 26:59–60).

To lie under oath is to desecrate truth in the place meant to uphold it.

7. One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers — The Sin of Division

• God values unity among His people. Division is spiritual sabotage.
• God commands blessing where there is unity (Psalm 133:1–3).
• Discord fractures the image of God’s people and the witness of His Church.
• Jesus died to break down walls between enemies and make us one (Ephesians 2:14–16).

Of all the sins, this one is the climax—because it destroys community, the very thing Christ came to build.

Section 3: Jesus and the Anatomy of These Sins

Each item in this list touches a different part of the human experience:

This is not just a list of sins. It’s a mirror to the human soul—and a map pointing us to Christ.

Jesus doesn’t merely teach against these sins. He embodies their opposite. He heals what they destroy.

Section 4: Practical Applications — Living in the Light of Christ

This passage should not drive us into legalism—striving to avoid these sins out of fear—but into transformation, running to the Savior who overcomes them in us.

Here are two gospel-rooted applications:

1. Cultivate Truth in Small Moments

Whether in conversation, emails, or social media—commit to honesty, clarity, and grace. Avoid exaggeration or half-truths. Speak not just what is true, but what builds up (Ephesians 4:15, 29).

Daily Check: “Am I representing God’s truth in my words today?”

2. Be a Sower of Peace, Not Division

Look around—family, church, work. Are you building bridges or walls? Are you quick to listen or quick to assume?

Pray this: “God, make me an agent of peace where Satan seeks to divide.”

Unity is not passive. It’s intentional gardening. It requires humility, repentance, and daily grace.

Conclusion: The Gospel in God’s Hate

Yes—God hates sin. But it’s because He loves truth, life, justice, and His people.

These seven things are not merely rules to avoid. They are reminders of why we need a Savior—and why Christ is the only One who never walked in any of these.

He had no haughty eyes, but saw the broken. He had no lying tongue, but spoke life. He shed His own blood, not another’s. He devised redemption, not wickedness. He ran to the cross, not to evil. He was falsely accused, but stayed silent. He died to unite us, not divide.

Jesus is the answer to everything God hates—and the fulfillment of everything God loves.

Final Thought

The seven things God hates are not just a list to fear—they’re a call to look to Jesus, to let the Spirit shape our hearts, and to live in a way that reflects the One who bore these sins on His back.

Let’s not merely avoid sin. Let’s pursue Christ. Let’s sow peace, live in truth, and walk in love.

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