Sermons We Don’t Preach
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9
Abomination – Only a few things are identified as abominations. The list is not very pleasant. Idolatry, child sacrifice, marriage to unbelievers, religious activities of the wicked, homosexuality, lying and certain foods make the list. Proverbs 6:16-19 names activities that are hateful to God. You’ve probably heard a few sermons on some of these topics, but I would be surprised if you ever heard a sermon on Proverbs 28:9. We don’t want to know about this form of abomination because it is just too condemning. What it implies sends shivers through the soul. God considers the prayers of those who turn away from His law in the same category as child sacrifice. He hates this kind of hypocrisy. Don’t expect Him to answer except with judgment.
Contemporary Christianity wants a friendly and pleasant God. In fact, we insist on it. We want the popular God of love; the One Who forgives our every peccadillo, Who overlooks our deliberate disobedience because He is the aged, kindly grandfather, Who wouldn’t dream of punishing His favorite grandchildren. So, we conveniently bypass verses like this one, or we discount it as “Old” Testament. Of course, we have to stop our ears to a lot of Jesus’ words about judgment too. But we are more than willing to do so. After all, who wants a God Who actually insists on attentive obedience. That would interfere with my agenda, and God would never want me to do anything I really didn’t want to do. Right? With Christmas only a few weeks away, we look forward to all that peace and light and especially, the Santa Claus God.
What utter fools we are! God is not mocked. We have lost sight of the terrifying holiness of God, of the mystery of His being, the power of His majesty. We no longer fear the Lord. It is a big mistake. In this verse, Solomon reminds us that prayers from disobedient children are to’evah – abomination. Why? Because God hates those who would tread on His holiness and insult His character by coming before Him in expectation of favor when their lives oppose His counsel and direction. Does God save the wicked? Of course. He is compassionate. He always acknowledges confession and repentance. Does that mean God answers the prayers of the “saved” but disobedient? Don’t count on it. Rescue from death is not the same as continuous favor in life. We are saved in order to obey. If you think salvation guaranteed you favorable treatment, better reconsider. Once rescued, obedience is the name of the game.
Think about that sermon, the one you never heard.
