To fear the Lord is to hate evil.
I hate arrogant pride,
evil conduct,
and perverse speech.
Proverbs 8:13 

As fallible humans we have things which we hate to do. Some of us may hate to do dishes, mow the grass, eat meals with the campers, or even hate not having enough free time.

But have you ever thought about what God hates? 

Today’s wisdom verse from Proverbs summarizes the things God hates into three categories. The first is arrogance and pride.

Throughout history pride has been the main cause for people refusing to worship the one true God. It is pride which is suspected to have caused Lucifer’s fall from heaven to become the devil. Even today many people will not submit to Jesus because it requires surrender of one’s own will to his perfect will. When people think they are too good, they will not realize their need for a Savior. Paul says that it was by professing to be wise that men became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling man (Romans 1:22-23). 

The second category of things God hates is evil conduct.

This may seem obvious but in today’s society many people are trying to follow evil ways while still trying to follow God. The two paths though are direct opposites. The evil way leads to destruction, and Jesus says that it is broad, meaning that many are on it. The other direction is the way of righteousness, and while it is narrow it leads to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). 

The last category includes the multitude of sins that proceed from perverse speech.

We may be tempted to limit this kind of speech to foul language and dirty jokes, but throughout the Scriptures God describes the perverse mouth as one that lies, does not honor God, and does not build others up. James says this tongue is like a fire—a world of iniquity (James 3:6). 

Reflecting on what God hates should cause you to ask yourself, “What do I hate?”