Seven Things God Finds Abominable: #5 — Feet that be swift in running to mischief.

Welcome back to our continuing series, “Seven Things God Finds Abominable.”
In our last post, we looked at An Heart That Deviseth Wicked Imaginations. We saw how sin begins in the secret workshop of thought long before it reaches the hand or the tongue.

Now, the focus shifts outward again. The next abomination shows the urgency of sin and the eagerness of a heart so inclined to evil that the body races to perform it.

“Feet that be swift in running to mischief.” — Proverbs 6:18

This is not merely sin committed in weakness, but sin pursued with zeal. It is eagerness to do wrong and the unholy hurry of a heart that delights in wickedness and cannot wait to act upon it.

The phrase “swift in running to mischief” paints a vivid picture of speed and intent. These are not hesitant feet, but willing ones that are ready to carry out the plans the heart has already devised.

Isaiah 59:7 echoes this very phrase:

“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood:
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.”

Notice the order here: thoughts of iniquity are accompanied by feet that run to evil. When the heart is unrestrained, the body becomes its servant. The wicked heart does not linger to pray or reason but instead rushes forward eager for mischief.

Each abomination in this list so far builds upon the last.

• The eyes grow proud.

• The tongue lies.

• The hands commit violence.

• The heart devises wickedness.

• And now, the feet hurry to perform it.

Sin rarely appears full-grown, it develops step by step. When desire conceives, it seeks expression and soon the body follows where the heart has led.

James 1:14–15 explains the process clearly:

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

The feet that run swiftly to mischief are simply the culmination of what the person has allowed to transpire. It is the outward sprint of an inward corruption.

The Bible repeatedly warns against spiritual haste and the impulse to act before we think, to sin before we seek counsel. Proverbs 19:2 says:

“Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.”

Sin is often committed not only because it is desired but because it is rushed. How many regrets, ruined testimonies, and broken lives began with a moment of spiritual haste. A decision made without prayer, a reaction made without restraint, or a step taken without thought of consequence?

Feet that are swift in running to mischief are not led by wisdom but driven by impulse. If God hates feet that run to mischief, He delights in feet that walk in righteousness. Romans 10:15 says:

“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!”

God redeems not only the heart and tongue but even the feet. The same feet that once ran to sin can learn to walk in holiness, to carry the gospel, to tread in paths of peace.

Galatians 5:16 commands:

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

To walk is steady, deliberate, and disciplined. It is the complete opposite of running toward mischief.

The difference between the righteous and the wicked is not only where they go, but how quickly they go there. The wicked are swift to sin whereas the righteous are slow to anger, patient in spirit, and careful in step.

Psalm 119:101 declares:

“I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.”

Let that be our prayer as well. May our feet be guided by God’s Word, our hearts ruled by the Spirit, and our pace set by the will of God.