Feb 28 2008
7 Deadly Sins-A heart that devises wicked schemes
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:17 ………………..
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
Now to refresh why we are talking about these sins is because there are accusations (some are justified) that Christians only focus on a few sins. The truth is we shouldn’t dwell on any sins but our focus should be on Jesus. But for argument’s sake I thought we could look at The Big 7 that the Lord hates!
Heart is the noun “leb” which means the inner man, mind, will, heart, or understanding. Devises is the verb “charash” which means to cut in, plough, engrave, devise or to plot evil. Wicked is the noun “‘aven” which means trouble, wickedness, or sorrow. Schemes is the noun “machashabah” which means thought device, plan, or purpose.
So this verse is referring to the sin of making evil plans that will purposely cause harm to another. In Genesis 6:5 it says:
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
Under our own power we will always scheme to get our own way. Look at children. We don’t teach them to be selfish–they get it because of sinful nature in us.
However, the good news is for everyone who follows Jesus we exchange our old sinful life for Jesus living through us. When Christ lives through us we don’t have to dwell on sins, just on the power we have through Him.
What do you think?
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According to Strong’s Dictionary, avn (translated as “wicked” in Pro 6:18) is:
The KJV uses each one of these words in various verses in the Hebrew Bible as a translation for avn:
iniquity
vanity
wicked
mischief
affliction
unrighteous
wickedness
evil
false
idol
mourners
mourning
nought
sorrow
unjust
vain
So even if your heart is not “wicked” per se, God may still hate your heart without your even being aware
A3,
I was beginning to wonder if anyone was out there?
When I finish this exercise I will drop the “sin” posts! 
I would rather focus on God’s Grace.
It’s been a fun exercise and it prompted me to crack open my ol’ trusty dusty Hebrew Bible which I haven’t done in quite some time.
Kevin,
Please don’t stop these kinds of studies altogether. Although I am more of a lurker than a commenter, I am enjoying this series *and* am learning alot. I’m sure there may be others like me. The silent reader.
Kevin, sin rocks! Carry on please.
OLM,
LOL!
Christine,
I’m struggling with SIN vs. Grace. If I focus too much on sin am I ignoring the Grace that Jesus offers? The reason I started this short study was too prove that I could look at other sins than those that usually appear in the news.
Kevin, It’s interesting that you started focusing on this topic this week. Our pastor here in Bham has been preaching on “Sin in the camp” for the past four weeks. His viewpoint is that the American church has so totally “glossed over” sin that we as Christians have no idea how sinful our actions are. It has been an incredibly convicting time for me and for others I’ve talked to.
Of course, he doesn’t let a sermon go by that he doesn’t mention God’s grace but after listening to his sermons and my own study and prayerful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion he’s right. I think an accurate study of sin and how it relates to our relationship with God can only strengthen our appreciation for His grace and thereby strengthen our realtionship with Him.
There should be a balance. You can not talk about sin without touching on grace as well.
I agree with Angie in that churches tend to water down this subject too much and give more of a “feel good” message. Without understanding sin, how can we truly appreciate the grace God freely gives?
Kev…
My wife shared a sermon she heard yesterday…
Did you know that 80,000 hebrews were undergound cutting stones for the temple… when Solomon was building the temple?
No one heard a hammer, or saw the sweat blood and tears of those laboring in the tunnels under Jerusalem… they just saw the temple being built…
Kevin… I can tell you are questioning whether or not talking about sin is “pragmatic”… or will work…
That’s the problem with pragmatism it always focuses on the externals… like whether people are reading what we write, or anything that we can “externally” observe that help us to measure our own effectiveness…
Exposing sin doesn’t always have the pragmatic results that we americans love so much… is it any wonder why the foundations of our churches are sifting sand…?
Talking about sin is like cutting stones from a place no one can see… it goes directly to the heart… but when people acknowledge their sinfulness… and take it to Jesus that’s when the temple is laid on a firm foundation…
No one wants to go work on stone cutting… they just want to see the temple built… but some people have to do that work that no one wants and can’t be seen… or heard except by the eyes of God…
Don’t give up… its things like these that really take faith… remember faith is the substance of things hoped for… belief in things not seen…
Now what I am trying to say Kev is don’t worry what people think as much as you worry about what God thinks….
We live in a generation that needs leaders like never before… its a high calling!
I have listened intently to every one of your lessons on the seven deadly sins… they are powerful…
I am sure you have more readers than you think… but sometimes the things that need to be said often leave those who heard it silent… thats a good thing sometimes…
In this generation, in this time… never has it been more needed for godly men to stop “playing it safe” and start getting on fire for God!
Also I have heard you say twice that you won’t do any more of these…
Be carfeul what you wish for, because God has a way of making your “can’ts and won’ts” the very thing you are called to do… you know that well by now!
A father called two sons to the field to work…
One said I’ll go, I’ll go and he never went…
The other said I won’t go, I won’t go, but later he changed his mind and went…
Which one did the father’s will?
Exposing sin’s deceitfulness is necessary sometimes to plow the stony heart of one who loves their sin… so that seeds might be planted in fertile soil…and bear fruit and multiply…
The seed that fell on the stony ground grew quickly but it died out, because it had no roots….
Everything has its season… of plowing, planting, reaping, and harvesting!
Kevin,
I’m not sure how much my comments lead you to do this, but I was actually suggesting that you reduce the amount of thought you give to the sins that appear regularly in the news so that they would be on a par with other sins that are usually ignored by the media. Sorry if you thought I meant for to talk more about other sins to bring them up to the level of the “popular” sins!
In any case, I’ve enjoyed this thread.