One doesn’t need to consult a dictionary to define the word, hate.
Unfortunately, the word is all too familiar and a part of everyday human vocabulary.
I hate Monday’s, I hate rush hour traffic, and I really hate the feel of sand in my butt crack after going to the beach.
I don’t think that anyone will disagree that the word, hate, evokes strong emotions of disdain, and depending upon the target, maybe thoughts of violence and revenge.
People hate all kinds of things, other people, other cultures, other religions, and definitely their enemies. The list is endless.
Seems like people love to hate, but is it a part of human nature or are we just taught to hate?
The prophets foretell of a time when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, when God’s peaceful kingdom with reign on the Earth.
This sounds like an unrealistic fantasy, because from what we can see, the world is racing farther and farther away from the goal of peace and love.
The Christian religion teaches that God hates sin, and believes that once sin is removed, there will be peace on Earth.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for sin, does not have a dark and filthy meaning as religion has given it.
The Hebrew word for “sin” simply means to miss the mark or bullseye.
Maybe we could get somewhere if the people of the world could stop for a minute and think of themselves as archers. Then, ask themselves where am I aiming my arrows? Is it toward the bullseye of love or am I shooting in the direction of hate?
The bullseye is God, and God is love. It is that simple.
So why does the world view God as such a hateful entity?
It is no secret that the Christian religion has played a major part in spreading hate in the world. Countless people who have shunned the “invitation to heaven,” have, afterwards, been condemned.
They are called “sinners” and told that God is going to toss them into Hell, because they have rejected Jesus. They portray God as a hateful, sadistic tyrant.
Ironically, they are blind and don’t see that their gospel is NOT the gospel that Christ taught—not even close.
Militant Christians are merely blind archers shooting arrows amuck, wounding many, and they wonder why the world mocks them.
And, to make matters worse, they are told by their leaders that they are the righteous ones of God and are only hated, because the world is evil and hates Jesus inside of them.
This is totally messed up.
Because, according to the Hebrew definition of sin, they are the ones sinning. They are off course and completely missing the mark.
They are not following the example of Christ, the skilled archer who hit the mark dead on. Jesus demonstrated the loving nature of God.
I write, not to criticize, but with attempts to reason with some who are caught up in this toxic group, like I was.
So, the Hebrew term for sin is a rather refreshing surprise. One is simply off course.
However, the Hebrew word for hate, sinah, is even more mind-blowing.
In the Hebrew language each letter is actually a pictogram, and the two symbols used to create the word, hate, is a thorn and a seed.
We get a deeper understanding of what this means by studying the teachings of Christ.
It is recorded in the gospels that Christ taught against hate. He taught his disciples instead of hating their enemies, rather, to bless them. Everyone has heard of the expression turn the other cheek when slapped. Christ taught not to repay violence with violence.
He instructed his disciples, not to judge and not to hate, except for when Christ said to hate your family. In that situation, Jesus was addressing the religious parents that were trying to prevent their sons from following Christ as his disciples.
He was telling his disciples that they would have to separate the thorn from the seed in order to follow him.
During his teachings Christ used spiritual metaphors and interestingly, he often spoke about thorns and seeds.
When Christ was referring to the religious leaders, he said that you will know them by their fruits. He said that you don’t gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles. It can be deduced that Christ was using spiritual symbology and likening the religious attitude to the thorns.
In order to illustrate what the seeds are, Christ told a parable of the sower.
Behold, a sower went out to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
Some fell upon a stony place, where they had not much earth and immediately, they sprung up, but because they had no deepness of earth the sun scorched them and they withered away.
Some fell among thorns and the thorns sprung up and choked them.
But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Christ later explained the parable to his disciples. He said, that the seed is the word coming from God. the sower is the one who speaks the words of God to others.
The seed in the wayside represents the ones who hear the word of the kingdom and don’t understand it.
The seed in the stony ground are those who accept it readily and then are quickly offended when persecution comes.
The seed in the thorns are those who are choked by the cares of life and deceitfulness of riches and are unfruitful.
The seed on good ground are those who hear it and produce good spiritual fruit.
So, putting the pictogram together of the Hebrew word for hate, it is a picture of a thorn and a picture of a seed which according to Christ’s analogies would mean that when religious attitude joins with the word that comes from God it creates a negative condition, which is called hate.
It’s interesting that the term hate is used in the Christian Bible 179 times, and when read with the understanding of our common definition, it is believed that hate is a common trait of God and God’s people.
I found a passage in Proverbs written by Solomon that lists seven things that God hates, and they are attributes of human behavior.
Religion teaches that these are seven horrible “sinful” things that humans do that God detests, loathes, hates. They are:
A proud look—didn’t the religious leaders proudly deny what they saw as Christ performed the miracles of God? Instead, of acknowledging, they boasted that they knew God, and that Jesus was, Beelzebub, the prince of devils.
A lying tongue—didn’t the religious leaders trump up false accusations against Christ the night that they took him to Pontius Pilate to ask for his crucifixion?
Hands that shed innocent blood—didn’t they plot and succeed at shedding the innocent blood of Christ?
A heart that devises wicked imaginations—didn’t they plot continually of ways to lure him away from all the people so they could nab him?
Feet that are swift in running to mischief—didn’t the religious leaders quickly take hold of him that night in the garden of Gethsemane, when all the Jewish citizens were sleeping off the four cups of wine consumed during the Passover dinner that evening? They kept Jesus overnight, took him to Pilate before sunrise, and he was on the cross by 9 am that morning. It could not have been any swifter.
A false witness that speaks lies—didn’t they accuse Christ of boasting to be a king, thus threatening the throne of Caesar? Even, Pontius Pilate, after residing over the case, declared Christ innocent, but the religious leaders insisted upon his death.
He who incites brothers to quarrel—didn’t the men filled with the spirit of religion continually stir up the people with attempts to get them to side against Christ? This spiritual war continues to this day.
Therefore, it seems apparent that the Hebrew word for hate occurs when the vile spirit of religion attaches to the loving words of God.
Until humanity wakes up and follows the path to break that bond between the thorn and the seed, there will never be peace on Earth.