What God hates as much as sin

I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am concerned about their suffering.

Exodus 3:7

There are a lot of things God doesn’t like. We can tick off a few- like, well…sin, spiritual snobbery, rebellion, fudging the truth, stepping on people’s toes to go ahead and so on.

But besides sin, God has a strong distaste for suffering.

This is  movingly pictured in Judges 10:16. Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.. God has been watching the Ammonites oppress Israel. The Jews cry out in prayer and toss out their idols.

Finally, here’s the line – God “could bear Israel’s misery no longer.”

His tenderness was roused by human anguish. Years earlier, He said to Moses the word in today’s scripture passage. (Exodus 3:7)

To God, suffering is distasteful, to say the least. God is truly grieved at how we’ve ruined the world and abused each other. This grief is partly why He gave the Ten Commandments:

Don’t murder, He says – I hate unjust killing.

Don’t commit adultery – I despise seeing families ripped apart.

Your tears touch God. He aches to show his compassion.

If Adam had never fallen, if God could rewrite the story, I’m convinced He never would have let suffering out of the cage, much less allowed sin to pollute his planet.

He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men

Lamentations 3:33

Habbakuk spoke accurately of God when He said, “You eyes are too pure to look evil, you cannot tolerate wrong” (Hab.1:13).

And God won’t.

One day very soon – much sooner than you think – God will close the curtain on sin, sweeping suffering and all it’s pained tears away forever. Until that time, He permits what He hates, to accomplish something mysterious and wonderful that He loves: Christ in us.

I realise, Lord, that you permit all sorts of things you don’t approve of. It’s a mystery to me. I’m just grateful you understand my pain. Help me hold on to you, dear God. I want Christ to come forth in my life through my suffering.

– Devotional : More precious than silver – Joni Eareckson