Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the fraudulent mouth, do I hate. It is not merely in enlightenment of mind that the fear towards God has its result. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." This departing from evil is the practical manifestation of a principle; it is habitual practice founded on a strong conviction of duty. In this text, the fear of the Lord is connected with the inward feeling of dislike for evil. Hatred, like love, is of the heart. I. THIS FEAR MUST NOT BE MISUNDERSTOOD AS TO ITS NATURE. It may be twofold. The alarm that is awakened by the threat of violence, or of immediate privation, is one kind of fear. This is the fear of dread, or terror. The other kind of fear is of respect or reverence, and this can only dwell in the heart of a friend towards a friend, or of a faithful servant towards a master worthy of esteem, or of a dutiful child towards an honoured parent. This is the "fear of the Lord." What other fear should God be desirous of receiving and acknowledging at their hands? II. IF THERE BE THIS FEAR, THERE WILL ALSO BE THE HATRED OF EVIL. The Holy One cannot be so indulgent as to put no difference between godly fear and the love of sin. God hates evil as abhorrent from His holy nature. To require that we hate evil is no more than what the holiness of His own character requires from Himself. This requirement shows that God would draw us nearer to Himself. As He hates evil, He would have us hate it. (J. Rhenius, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.WEB: The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. |
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