Wisdom Hates Evil

“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (Proverbs 8:12–13 NIV)

Wisdom comes to us in the Scripture sometimes as a person and speaks to us in a very personal tone of voice. Wisdom presents to us a choice. Wisdom shows us the dividing of the pathway – the pathway of life and the pathway of death. Wisdom warns us that if we are to walk in the pathway of life we have to hate evil. There is no room for compromise.

Those who are walking in that pathway cannot in any way permit themselves to entertain the thoughts of evil. We have to watch our own lives, our own behavior. We have to guard against the things that wisdom hates.

Wisdom hates pride and arrogance. These are subtle things that may begin to grow up in our lives without us scarcely being aware of them. Evil behavior and perverse speech – these are things that wisdom hates, and if we are to walk in the way of life we have to hate what wisdom hates. We have to side with the Lord against sin and iniquity, rebellion and deception. We have to dethrone these things from our hearts and to make room there for wisdom – wisdom with prudence, with knowledge and with discretion. We have to bear in mind continually that all the counsel of wisdom, all the instruction and even the admonition of wisdom is designed for our good.