Third Day of Lent
Posted on February 16, 2024 by under
Scripture: Proverbs 6:12-19 (NKJV)
6:12 A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth;
13 He winks with his eyes, he shuffles his feet, he points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.
Devotion
In the wisdom writings that comprise the book of Proverbs we hear divine guidance for numerous aspects of daily life. We hear about the godly pursuit of faithful living by God’s rules and statutes, graciously delivered to His children through the holy Scriptures. In the verses from this book appointed for today, we are introduced to the divine judgment meted out to those who engage in character assassination and creating discord. We are also warned to avoid harming our fellow men in any way exemplified by seven offenses which are an abomination to the Lord.
While there are seven items listed, the literary practice of using sequential numbers to present a list does not mean that these seven are the exhaustive list of offenses the Lord finds abominable. What this does say is that the Lord finds deceitfulness an unacceptable behavior among His chosen, for all the items listed represent some form of deceit. The message divinely delivered through this text is that deceit will be met with severe condemnation from the Lord Almighty’s righteous judgment.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
