Today’s Blog: Are there haters around you?

TODAY’S PROVERB: When he speaks favorably, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart. Proverbs 26:25, TLV

Who is the “he” in this proverb? Verse 24 reveals his identity: one who hates and tries to disguise it. Yikes! Haters around us?

A show of hands. Who wants to think about people who hate us or what we stand for? Not me, that’s for sure. So why am I doing this? Writing a blog about people who hate us? Because, my friends, they are out there. In our congregations, our families, our workplace, our communities.

Not knowing they may be within our circle of trust makes us vulnerable.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

JESUS, MATTHEW 10:16, TLV

My first question to this passage was: Why would someone want to stay in the company of someone they hate? The only reasons I could come up with are:

• They are unable to leave. (For emotional, spiritual, financial reasons.)
• It is strategically beneficial for them to stay. (The person provides opportunities and/or benefits to them.)
• They have a nefarious intent. (They want to harm the person they hate in subversive ways for as long as they can get away with it.)

The first two reasons, I believe, are people who probably have been hurt by us in some way. Or, we remind them of people who have hurt them in the past. As Jesus-followers, we believe in the redemptive and restorative nature of God. I would hope we would want to discover why they feel this way and offer God’s path to healing.

As someone who can have a strong and opinionated personality — although, I have tried to tame that beast — I must be especially mindful of other’s reactions. Watching their eyes and body language can give me an early warning that I may need to dial back and be sure the other person(s) and I are okay.

A nefarious intent

The third reason is most likely the intent of this verse. Is it possible there are people like this in our circle of trust? People we know? Love? Respect? Unfortunately, yes.

Verse 26 says that eventually their deceit will be revealed. However, there are certain signs of that type of person:

• We never quite know how they feel about us. We think we’re getting along, but at random moments there are looks or actions that give us an uncomfortable feeling.
• They make comments that are hurtful. They may follow-up the comment with something like, “just being honest,” or “I was kidding.”
• The fruits of love are not there. Kind words are fine, but it’s the actions of love that distinguish a person as someone who loves us. The sacrifices they are willing to make.
• They keep a tight circle of mutual friends. These friends — your friends — if left unchecked can eventually become their “army”.

Scary stuff . . .

All this is scary stuff. But as Yeshua (Jesus) said, those folks are out there, and He wants us to be wise, yet innocent. Our first action upon discovery of this type of person, is to confront and attempt resolution. If they deny or want nothing to do with resolving the situation, then regretfully we must remove that person from our circle of trust.

“Removing from our circle” may mean we must leave the situation, or they must leave. If this is not possible or practical, then we must no longer entrust this person with personal information. We can’t trust what they say, so we must take all that into consideration as we navigate the next steps in the relationship — such as it is.

All of this is sad, isn’t it? Losing people in our lives that we thought were trustworthy. Still, we need to remember:

“. . . our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the worldly forces of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

PAUL, EPHESIANS 6:12, TLV

It’s not about the flesh and blood, but the war for souls. We may lose a battle here and there, but the victory has already been won. May that comfort us.

May we be wise and innocent, my friends.

Proverbs 26:25 Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs