A Lamp to My Feet

Today, we are once again looking at the list of seven things the LORD hates found in Proverbs 6:16-19, “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and 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.”

I hope you had a good week last week. I also hope and pray that you and your family are doing well and continue to be in good health.

This week we look at the 6th thing God hates: “a false witness who breathes out lies.” You probably recognize this from the 10 commandments recorded both in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5: “And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Notice that a false witness breathes out lies.

Of the 7 things God hates, I believe this is the one that we are guilty of the most. Most (if not every one of us) are guilty of gossip. We get into our little groups, and we talk about someone who is not with us. Someone repeats something they heard from someone else, and the story just gets bigger and bigger. Reputations and lives are destroyed because someone starts a vicious rumor which grows with each telling and gathers momentum to spread like wildfire in our little community.

Nettie Plummer, a lady in our congregation who died years ago was one that refused to participate in gossip. I never heard Nettie share gossip about anybody. If we were in a group, and someone would try to share gossip, Nettie would always gently but firmly change the subject to something edifying to all of us. Nettie Plummer is one of my heroes.

God bless you this week, and may all of us be more aware when we hear or share gossip about somebody else.