PODCAST
What God Hates
November 10th, 2020
Zechariah 8:14-19
“Hate” is a powerful word. It’s a pretty bold thing to say God hates something. This isn’t something that’s a minor annoyance. If God hates it, it must be an earth-shatteringly terrible thing.
Zechariah 8 finds God’s people ready to return to the Promised Land. As they contemplate what life will be like as they rebuild, God, through the prophet, warns them against scheming and dishonesty. He taps them on the shoulder and says, “I hate all that” (v. 17). Scheming, dishonesty, division, taking advantage of the weak, false living, and false worshipping are what got them in this mess in the first place. God says, “don’t go there again.”
God hates dishonesty for good reason. It tears relationships apart. We are called to be people who do justice, love mercy, walk humbly, and in all things be truthful. As we live this way, we’ll become the kinds of communities God truly loves.
Author: Mark Hendrickson
