Seven Things God Finds Abominable: #1 — A Proud Look
Proverbs 6:16-19 says: “These six things doth the LORD hate: Yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, Feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.”
In a world that often debates what man finds acceptable, the Bible tells us plainly what God finds abominable. Proverbs 6:16-19 reveals a divine list unlike any other. It is a catalog of sins that reveal the very heart of God. These are not minor flaws or cultural taboos but the very attitudes and actions that are so offensive to God that He calls them “abominations.”
To study these verses is to look into the mirror of our own hearts. It is easy to see the evil in others, but harder to admit how subtly these seven abominations can take root in us. Pride can hide behind confidence. Lies can disguise themselves as diplomacy. Discord can wear the mask of “concern.” Yet to God, each is a stench of rebellion against His order and character.
This seven-part series will take a close look at each abomination the Lord names. We’ll look at what it means, where it appears in Scripture, and how believers today can guard their hearts against it. We begin with the first and most ancient of them all. It is the sin that cast Lucifer from Heaven and continues to blind the eyes of men.
“A proud look.” (Proverbs 6:17)
Before any word is spoken or deed performed, pride often begins in the eyes. A “proud look” is not merely arrogance on the face but it is the outward reflection of an inward heart lifted up against God. Pride was the first sin ever committed, not on earth but in Heaven. The book of Isaiah records Lucifer’s rebellion:
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15
It was not murder, theft, or deceit that began the downfall of creation but pride. The very thought that a creature could exalt itself above its Creator is the essence of sin. No wonder the Lord calls it an abomination. Pride blinds us to our dependence upon God and deceives us into thinking we are self-made, self-sufficient, and self-righteous.
What Is a Proud Look?
A proud look is the window of the soul’s rebellion. It is the lifted chin that refuses correction, the cold glance that looks down on others, the self-satisfied gaze that sees no need for grace. It can be found in the palace or the pew.
Psalm 101:5 says:
“Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.”
God’s eyes search the earth, not for those who think themselves great, but for those who know they are nothing without Him. James 4:6 reminds us:
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
To resist means to stand in battle array against. Imagine God Himself as your opponent because of pride. It is not merely that He dislikes pride, He wars against it. The proud man builds walls of self-importance; the humble man builds altars of surrender.
The Remedy for Pride
The antidote to a proud look is a lowly heart. Proverbs 29:23 says:
“A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”
Jesus taught the same truth in Luke 18:13–14 through the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee, standing tall, thanked God that he was “not as other men.” The publican, standing afar off, “would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
The proud look seeks recognition from men; the humble gaze seeks mercy from God. Pride says, “Look at me.” Humility says, “Look to Him.”
If we ever doubt what humility looks like, we need only to behold our Savior. Philippians 2:5–8 declares:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
If the Son of God could humble Himself so low to save sinners, how can we lift our eyes in pride? Every time we bow in prayer, we defy the proud look and confess our dependence upon Him.
Pride may look respectable to men, but it is detestable to God. It is the seed of every sin, the barrier to repentance, and the thief of grace. Let us ask God daily for eyes lowered in reverence and hearts lifted in gratitude.
Psalm 10:4 warns:
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
But the humble say, as in Psalm 123:1–2:
“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters…
so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”