“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community” (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Today, I want to discuss the number 1 thing that God hates and detests, “haughty eyes.” Haughty eyes is the literal translation from the original Hebrew language. The definition of haughty is “arrogantly superior and disdainful”. Synonyms are proud, vain, arrogant, conceited, snobbish, stuck-up, pompous, self-important, conceited, superior, egotistical, condescending, patronizing smug, scornful, contemptuous, disdainful, overbearing, cavalier, high-handed, full of oneself, snooty, uppity, cocky and bigheaded. If your life is an expression of one of these, I would be careful. God is not pleased with these attitudes. Haughty eyes represented the Pharisees of Jesus’s days and were despised by Him. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). James, the brother of Jesus, in his straightforward style declares, “the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower” (1:10). James warns the pride and haughty that their accomplishments, proud view of themselves, self-importance, smugness, arrogance, etc. is not going to last long. Eternity is waiting for them and it’s not going to be a good thing. All their “stuff” is coming to a screeching halt. They are nothing but a “wild flower” in the context of forever that will soon pass away. “Take pride in their humiliation.” Why? This is the attitude of Jesus and what brings joy to Him.
The following is a self-revelation of who Jesus is, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). If you want to aspire to something, become “gentle and humble in heart”. These are the very attitudes of Jesus and diametrically opposite of “haughty eyes”. Because of these attitudes, Jesus welcomes “the weary and burdened”, the very people that “haughty eyes” reject.
Philippians 2:5-9 says it all, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”
Haughtiness repels God and others. Humility and gentleness propel God and others. Get rid of “haughty eyes”. God despises them.
Barnabas Man 