Jesus challenged us to be a proclaimer of the Good News of the Kingdom which essentially means that we seek to glorify Him that brought us to redemption and salvation.  But, practically what does that mean and how is it evidenced? One of the ways we can be a proclaimer is to live righteously in an unrighteous world, a world that defies God and denies His existence. The entire book of Proverbs’ theme is to teach us how walk in the paths of righteousness so that we may glorify God in all that we do, all the time with all we have. Prov  6 is a reminder of what Moses told the Israelites: “I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the Lord; the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments…” [Deut 11]

Thus the author now reveals to us wise counsel on how to be discerning between good and evil [Heb 5] and how to live that out practically in our conduct and attitudes by listing 7 attitudes and behaviors that the Lord detests. If we mirror the contrasting qualities we are thus proclaiming the Lord to a world that needs to see Him as the leader of our lives and as we live humbly  “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.” [Mic 6:8] The author of Proverbs is challenging us to look within and then see what we do with our eyes, our tongue, our hands for this reveals what is in our heart. If we want to be righteous in an unrighteous world we must begin in the heart and let that flow forth in our words and deeds.