Seven Things God Finds Abominable: #7 — He that soweth discord among brethren
Welcome back to our final study in the series, “Seven Things God Finds Abominable.”
In our last post, we examined A False Witness That Speaketh Lies. We explored how deceit destroys justice and turns truth itself into a casualty.
Now we come to the seventh and final abomination. The one that ties all the others together and reveals their most destructive fruit:
“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.” Proverbs 6:16-19
The list began with pride in the eyes and ends with division among God’s people. The first sin looks upward in defiance against God while the last looks outward in destruction toward others. Pride, deceit, violence, and falsehood all find their fulfillment here when a person deliberately tears apart the unity of God’s family.
This final abomination is not accidental conflict or honest disagreement. The Word of God does not condemn those who speak truth that causes discomfort, but those who delight in stirring strife. The word “soweth” paints a picture here. This wicked worker is scattering seeds of suspicion, whispering half-truths, and nurturing division where love once grew.
Proverbs 16:28 warns:
“A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
Discord begins in whispers but ends in war. It breaks fellowship, breeds bitterness, and quenches the Spirit of unity among believers. The Lord calls such sowing an abomination. Few things grieve the heart of God like division in His church.
Psalm 133:1 declares:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
Unity is not uniformity. It is harmony under the headship of Christ. Discord shatters that harmony. It turns brothers into rivals, friends into foes, and congregations into battlefields.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 3:3
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
Division is not a mark of maturity, but of immaturity. Discord is rarely sown openly but instead hidden. It begins subtly through murmuring, gossip, or offense left unresolved. One harsh word, one rumor repeated, one seed of distrust planted in the soil of pride, and soon the field of fellowship is overrun with weeds.
Sometimes the discord-sower hides behind “concern,” or disguises gossip as “prayer requests.” Yet God sees through the deception. Romans 16:17–18 warns:
“Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
Discord is not merely harmful, it is satanic. The devil’s first act in Eden was to sow discord between God and man; his next, between man and woman. The enemy still works the same way: divide to destroy.
Christ prayed in John 17:21:
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
The unity of the church is meant to be the proof of the gospel to the world. Discord, therefore, doesn’t just wound believers but also weakens our witness.
Ephesians 4:3 commands:
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Notice how it says keep and not create. The Spirit already forged unity at Calvary; our duty is to preserve it.
Reflection on this Series
As we close this study on “Seven Things God Finds Abominable,” we are reminded that these are not random offenses on a list. These abominations are the progression of a single disease: sin unrepented and self unrestrained. The seven abominations reveal the full anatomy of sin:
The eyes lifted in pride.
The tongue speaking lies.
The hands shedding innocent blood.
The heart devising wicked imaginations.
The feet running swiftly to mischief.
The mouth bearing false witness.
And the soul sowing discord among brethren.
Together, they reveal not just what God hates, but why He hates it: because every one of these sins tears apart what He created to be whole: our relationship with Him and with one another.
The Lord does not hate simply for hatred’s sake. His hatred is holy. It flows from perfect love and perfect justice.
He hates pride because He loves humility.
He hates lies because He loves truth.
He hates bloodshed because He loves life.
He hates wicked imagination because He loves purity.
He hates swift mischief because He loves patience.
He hates false witness because He loves righteousness.
He hates discord because He loves peace.
The seven abominations are not meant to drive us to despair but to repentance. They remind us that without Christ, our hearts are capable of every one of them. Yet through Christ, the very things God hates can be overcome by the things He delights in.
May we be found among those who hate what He hates, love what He loves, and live to reflect His righteousness in a world that desperately needs His truth.
Thank you for following along through this series. I pray these studies have stirred your heart toward holiness and deeper self-examination. Writing them reminded me that God’s Word never simply informs, it transforms.
Though this series comes to a close, the pursuit of righteousness continues. There will be more studies to come: new series, new reflections, and new opportunities to understand the heart of God. My prayer is that we continue to grow together in both truth and grace, learning not only what God hates, but more importantly, what He loves.
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” — Proverbs 8:13
Thank you for reading and studying with me. I pray that these words stay with you long after the series has ended as a call to live more fully for the Lord and to avoid those things which He finds abominable.
Victorious in Christ,
— Shawn F. Parker
Editor & Contributor, The Redeemed Report