In Love With Death?

In Love With Death?

The fear of death is a powerful emotion. It is human nature to fear death. The Psalmist talks about the valley of the “shadow of Death” and how fearful the notion of it can be. 

And lest we forget, Death came into the world thanks to Satan; who told Eve, “ye shall not surely die!” So because of that Big Lie, we all face the prospect of sure death! 

Even Jesus, when contemplating his own death commented to his Disciples in Matthew 26, “my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” 

Yet there is a curious statement made by the Lord in Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 36. It reads as follows; “He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me Love Death.”

That is a startling statement, is it not? Can you imagine hating someone so much that you would even love dying yourself? 

My first instinct when discovering this verse was to think of the fanatical suicide bombers. They seem to love death in the act of killing others. Of course they are blind individuals who have been deceived by the teachings of a false god. 

But there is a much deeper context involved in the Proverbs statement. Remember, this is a quotation from God himself concerning people who “enjoy their Sins” and refuse to repent of them.

In this verse, the Lord God is teaching that those people who Love their sins, they are in effect rejecting wisdom by consequence, because they love their sinful practices which will of a certainty bring certain destruction and Death upon them. 

By sinning willfully and persistently against Almighty God, who is the only offer of hope for life, they in effect love that which brings death upon themselves, both in body and also for their own soul, and so are reckoned to literally love death itself.

This proverb meantions two views of God's wisdom. The first is to sin against his counsel and wisdom. The second is to hate it.  This speaks progressively of what happens to people when they convince themselves that it is OK to reject the wisdom of God; and continue to enjoy their sins!

At first sinners are just annoyed by the wisdom of God. They are annoyed at a being who would claim absolute power, wisdom, and authority.  

But soon their annoyance grows to become anger, and finally that anger will give rise to flat out hatred. The hatred grows out of a rejection of the notion that anyone or anything besides they themselves should have the right to limit them from “enjoying their sins.” 

The more one sins against God's commands and against the consequences of rejecting them, the more they resent the God that wrote them. (Ten Commandments) That is why any sin, embraced long enough will bring us to the point of hating God and his Word. 

 It is why the Word of God says in James chapter 4 that friendship with the world is enmity against God; or the one who loves the world, hates God.

Thus, those who will not hearken to the Wisdom of God and scorns his counsels, do virtually love death because they love the things and the practices which lead to death, temporal and spiritual!

In short, many people are choosing spiritual death because they love sin. Therefore, they Love Death, and love not their own Soul! 

He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

Proverbs 14:27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Matthew 10:39  He that findeth his life (enjoys sin) shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

by: Darrell G. Young

Focus on the Bible

Sept. 21, 2021