Detestable

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

DESTESTABLE

Prov 29:27

27 The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

NIV

We cannot be sure that the word detest is one hundred percent right. The Hebrew word carries a meaning of abomination or a disgusting thing. It is used in an ethical sense of wickedness. We can understand how the wicked might get disgusted with the righteous, but why would a believer, assuming the righteous refers to believers, feel any disgust with a non-believer, again using the word wicked, or dishonest in this translation, to describe non-believers. There are many non-believers, although defined as wicked are rather nice people. Why would we have any detest of them? We are told that we should not be unequally yoke, that we have nothing in common with the non-believer.

2 Cor 6:14-18

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."   17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."   18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."  

NIV

So there is in a sense a wide separation between the two of us, the believer and the unbeliever. Whether that separation creates detest or enmity between us it may not be in the open. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Our division is not openly displayed for all to see. In fact we might even not want the unbeliever to feel we detest them. How could we share the gospel with them if we told them how detestable they are to us? How is that possible even to think we would think that about them? Perhaps it is the acts of unrighteousness which we do not like. Perhaps it is their way of life which offends us, because it is offensive to God. We certainly do not engage in their way of life, we do not partnership with the unbelieving world in any manner. Yes, we work among them, in the world. Sure, we have conversations with them, but we do not condone their behavior nor do we join in. They may well look at us with a certain amount of distain. This would be especially true if by our constant bombardment of righteous language, always forcing Jesus on them, makes them feel extremely uncomfortable. They might make every effort to avoid us at all costs and feel this detest toward us. It is a fine line between the two of us. We need to be among them so we can partner with the Spirit in bringing them to the point of accepting Christ, being freed from their slavery to sin. How we balance this can only be done through the Spirit. To be an ambassador implies we are not of this world, this kingdom and thus subject to it, we have diplomatic immunity from it. But we are citizens of the kingdom of God and have been sent to speak for our Sovereign. So let us detest the acts of wickedness while still loving the actor so as we love them they can see Jesus, not a self-righteous actor of Godliness. Then maybe, just maybe we would not be subject to this proverb. Truly if we allowed this proverb to be the truth in our lives, it would indeed be detestable.