Q. Besides the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, can you recommend other Scripture passages on which to focus my examination of conscience, especially during Lent?
A. You might consider one or more of the following: Romans 12:9-21; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 4:17–5:21; and Colossians 3:1-17. These passages are especially helpful in clarifying the true character and actions of those who belong to Christ.
Perhaps because I am currently teaching a course on the Book of Proverbs, I intend to reflect deeply and prayerfully on the following lines during this Lenten season and would invite others to do the same:
There are six things that the LORD hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
This is one of the graded numerical sayings of the n + 1 pattern: “There are six things. . . , [actually] seven,” the rhetorical effect of which is to say, “Not only these, but also (or especially) that.” Other examples of this ancient poetic technique occur in Proverbs 30, Job 5, Amos 1–2, and numerous places in Sirach. One achievement of this device is to draw the reader’s curiosity to the climactic last-mentioned: What could the seventh possibly be, and why is it singled out in this way?
The seven vices catalogued in these verses are explicitly identified as things that the LORD hates; they are (literally, in Hebrew) abominations of his soul. They make God sick! That’s pretty strong language, the kind that should grab our attention, stop us in our tracks, open our hearts to conviction, and bring us to the confessional kneeler.
What are these six things, yea seven, that God finds particularly disgusting, that his soul loathes?
1. haughty eyes—a pompous spirit of pride that exalts itself against God and looks down on others. Prompt: Do I put my views above God’s, and do I arrogantly look down my nose at others who are less smart, wealthy, good-looking, talented, popular, spiritual, or righteous than I?
2. a lying tongue—telling falsehoods, distorting reality, or bending the truth for self-serving ends. Prompt: Do I adjust details, revise stories, exaggerate evidence, or twist facts in order to cast myself in a better light than the reality warrants?
3. hands that shed innocent blood—an angry and violent disposition that would harm or murder another person if the circumstances allowed, or that simply wishes someone gone who represents a threat or obstacle to one’s desires. Prompt: Do I wish someone’s disappearance from the face of the earth, even if I would never act on such an impulse? (Jesus has something to say about this in Matthew 5:21-22.) Do I find movies and books that exploit and glamorize such crimes entertaining?
4. a heart that devises wicked plans—hatching evil plots and fantasizing the outcomes, even if the schemes are never carried out. Prompt: Do I imagine how much happier I would be if I could steal that person’s wealth, destroy that person’s reputation, undermine that person’s credibility, usurp that person’s position, or have that person’s spouse?
5. feet that make haste to run to evil—pursuing the wrong path and rationalizing such occasions as opportunities for breaking God’s rules and getting away with it. Prompt: Do I look for ways to sidestep what I know to be God’s will, hoping thereby to gain some benefit or advantage or momentary pleasure?
6. a false witness who breathes out lies—subverting justice at another’s expense, creating an impression that damages a person’s reputation and social standing through what is untrue, half-true, made up, biased, or simply unnecessary. Prompt: Do I engage in gossip, rumor peddling, or any other kind of calumny that unlovingly harms another person, portraying him or her in ways that are less favorable in the eyes of others through what is false, deceptive, speculative, slanted, or best left unsaid?
7. one who sows discord among brothers (the climactic seventh, compared to which the previous six are “like minor faults” [Bede])—unleashing dissension, causing contention, interfering with friendships, disrupting community cohesion. Prompt: Do I sow discord or drive wedges between friends and family members or fellow-citizens or fellow-parishioners, perhaps out of jealousy or competition or a sense of self-gain?
A final word: Although the correspondence might be inexact, I am intrigued by the possible contrast between this catalogue of vices and Jesus’ Beatitudes, as, for example, in the first and last in the lists: “poor in spirit” versus “haughty eyes,” “peacemakers” versus “one who sows discord.” In that case, Jesus’ pronouncement of Blessed counters what the Lord detests, and that is something worth pondering—during Lent and throughout the year.
This question was answered by Dr. Vern Steiner, president of the Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies. For more information, visit www.emmausinstitute.net.
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