What God Hates, What Is Not Good in God's Eyes

[Proverbs 17:15, 26]

You may have already heard the news through the media last week. The verdict from the jury in the first trial of the patent infringement case between Samsung Electronics and Apple in the United States ended with a complete victory for Apple. As a result, the jury found that Samsung had infringed Apple's patents and ruled that Samsung must pay 1,049,343,540 dollars in damages (Internet). However, this verdict caused Samsung Electronics' market value to drop by 13.99 trillion won in just one day (Internet). For some reason, I found myself becoming increasingly interested in this trial and kept following the news on the internet. After seeing this verdict, I honestly wonder how the case will unfold in the future. I'm curious about how the Korean-American judge will rule on the jury's verdict, and if the judge sides with Apple, I wonder what the ruling will be in Samsung's appeal. Amid all this, the one constant thought I have is that judges must make their rulings according to the law, fairly and justly. In Korea, the case ended with Samsung's victory, but in the United States, it ended with Apple's victory, which makes it hard for me to understand how the judiciary of Korea and the United States can have such different verdicts on the same case. I read an article online that said one of the main reasons for the differing judgments between Korea and the United States is the national sentiment. In Korea, there is a strong sense of protecting Samsung, the country's representative company, to the extent that some people say, "If Samsung falls, South Korea falls" (Internet). In the United States, I read another article titled "Samsung Lost Not to Apple, but to American Patriotism" which analyzed that "the conclusion was the result of American protectionism and the limitations of a jury system easily swayed by emotions" (Internet).

This is how the judicial systems of the world have their limitations. The reason is that we, as human beings, are limited. As a result, unfair rulings can occur in trials in this world. Therefore, unjust actions may continue to be rationalized in this world. However, in the kingdom of God, there cannot be such unfairness or injustice. This is because our God is a just God and a perfect judge. In today's passage, Proverbs 17:15 and 17:26, God speaks through King Solomon about the things He hates and the things that are not good in His eyes. As we meditate on these two things today, I desire to receive the lessons God gives us and obey them.

What Does God Hate?

First, let’s look at Proverbs 17:15: "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD." When we think of what God hates, we need to remember what we have already meditated on in Proverbs 15:8-33. That is, we learned that there are three things God hates: “The sacrifice of the wicked” (v. 8), “The way of the wicked” (v. 9), and “The perverse thought” (v. 26).

Here, the "sacrifice of the wicked" refers to someone who outwardly offers sacrifices to God but does so with an evil heart. A good example of this is when the Israelites in the Old Testament honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him as they offered sacrifices. “The way of the wicked” refers to those who may say with their lips that they will obey God, but their actions show disobedience to God’s word. One of the reasons for this is that there is greed in their hearts (v. 27). And the "perverse thought" that God hates refers to evil schemes (6:18) where someone seeks to gain profits by exploiting another person’s possessions through dishonest means.

In today’s passage, Proverbs 17:15, King Solomon also mentions two types of people whom God hates. These two people are those who justify the wicked or condemn the righteous. This means that God hates when an unjust judge makes an unfair ruling, either justifying the guilty or condemning the innocent.

The Best Example in the Bible: The Trial of Jesus Christ

I believe the best example in the Bible is the trial of Jesus Christ. The judgment where Barabbas, a murderer and thief, was set free, while Jesus, who was completely innocent, was sentenced to death—this judgment is, without a doubt, the kind of unjust ruling that God hates. Think about it. How could a murderer and thief, who is guilty, be set free, and an innocent man like Jesus be condemned to die on the cross? How could such an unjust judgment exist? We cannot accept such a judgment. We cannot accept people who make such unjust judgments either. And what about God, who is perfectly just—would He be pleased with a judge who renders an unfair verdict? Today’s passage, Proverbs 17:15, tells us that God hates such people. So, the question is, why does that person make an unjust ruling? Why does an unjust judge give an unjust verdict? One reason is explained in Proverbs 17:23: "The wicked accept a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice." An unjust judge takes bribes, and as a result, distorts justice and gives an unfair verdict. Look at what Isaiah 5:23 says: "Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent." The reason the wicked are declared innocent and justice is taken from the righteous is because of bribes, as the prophet Isaiah also says.

Friends, the world we live in is an unjust world. Whether in the Old Testament or today, how many people’s judgment is clouded because of bribes, making them issue twisted and unjust verdicts? These people rob justice from the righteous. They say to the wicked, "You are innocent." As a result, the wicked commit crimes, but do not go to prison. Instead, they are set free, while the righteous are falsely accused and sent to prison. Such injustices are happening in the judicial courts of our country. It truly is an unjust world. In this unjust world, how should we live? The American educator Charles J. Sykes, in his book Some Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School, gave this advice as the first of ten pieces of advice (internet): "Life is not fair, get used to it." As he says, life is not fair. From childhood environments, appearances, health, talents, luck, and misfortune, life is unfair in many ways. However, the most unfair thing in the world is human complaints. Instead of striving to improve the world, a complaining and hopeless attitude creates even more injustice. If we want to make the world a little fairer, we must first accept the reality that the world is unfair. Then, we must put in more effort to make this unfair world a fairer place. To do that, we must first look at what the Bible says about these principles. In Proverbs 24:23, the Bible says: "... to show partiality in judging is not good." The first thing we must remember is that as Christian judges, we must not show partiality in our judgments. This means that when we judge, we should not say to the wicked, "You are right" (or "You are innocent"). The Bible clearly says that such actions will bring curses on the people and will be hated by the public (v. 24). Instead, the Bible tells us not to declare the wicked innocent, but to render a guilty verdict against them (v. 25). In other words, Christian judges must make judgments fairly. When they do so, they will "gain joy and receive good blessings" (v. 25).

Lastly, what is it that is not good in the eyes of God?

Proverbs 17:26 - Injustice and Conduct Pleasing to God

Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 17:26: “To punish the righteous is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.” What King Solomon is saying here, regarding what is not pleasing to God, can be summed up in one word: injustice. And those who suffer such injustice are the righteous and the noble, as Solomon mentions. In modern society, what we often hear about in the news are unfair labor practices. One type of unfair labor practice is unfavorable treatment. This can include actions like unfair dismissals, suspension, denial of promotion, pay cuts, or even transferring someone to a position with no benefits, or assigning them to a waiting status (source: internet). But are unfair practices confined only to the labor sector? In this era, where injustice is rampant across society, especially towards honest and truthful Christians who seek to live righteously, much harm is done to them. The Bible tells us that this is what is not pleasing to God.

An interesting point is that the phrase "It is not good" appears not only in today's passage, Proverbs 17:26, but also three other times in Proverbs. One of these instances is in Proverbs 18:5, which says, “It is not good to show partiality to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice in court,” which bears some similarity to the message in today’s passage (the other two verses are Proverbs 19:2 and 25:27). Summing up these verses, we can say that what is not pleasing to God is punishing the righteous and treating them unjustly, as well as showing favoritism toward the wicked.

So, what is pleasing to God? It is when the judge in a court of law condemns the wicked and justifies the righteous. Look at Deuteronomy 25:1-3: “If there is a dispute between men and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. And if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence according to his guilt with a certain number of stripes. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest he be beaten with many more stripes than these, and your brother be degraded in your sight.” This passage speaks of how the judge should clarify the dispute and punish the wrongdoer by a specific number of stripes. However, the number of stripes was limited to forty to respect human dignity (according to Park Yoon-Seon). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul was beaten five times by the Jews with thirty-nine stripes (2 Corinthians 11:24). This was because he was persecuted for the sake of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and defending the church. Even though it was an unjust act, Paul accepted it with joy for the cause of Christ. Nevertheless, this was an unjust act and is not pleasing to God.

Friends, we should not engage in acts that are unjust in the sight of God. I read an article on the internet that said Christians stealing is a violation of the eighth commandment of the Ten Commandments. As Christians, we should not desire to possess what does not belong to us, as it goes against our basic ethics (Mark 10:19; Romans 13:9). Nevertheless, when we steal from others, we are committing an act of unjust enrichment (source: internet). As Christians, we must put an end to these dishonest practices as we live as new creations in Christ. We should not seek unfair profits in political, economic, or social spheres. As new people in Christ, we should neither give nor accept unjust money. Only in doing so will our society be brightened and purified.

I would like to conclude my meditation on the Word. Everyone, we must also hate what God hates. God hates those who justify the wicked or condemn the righteous. God hates when an unfair judge makes an unfair judgment. Therefore, we must also hate an unfair judge who makes an unfair judgment. In a word, we must also hate the unfairness that God hates. And we must stay away from injustice, which is not good in the eyes of God. Instead, we must pursue justice. Therefore, as the people of God’s kingdom, we must pursue fairness and justice and give glory to God. I hope that you and I will be like that.