On Abomination & Admonition; Wisdom & Foolishness; Hard Work, Honor & Accomplishment

Yesterday’s ponderings on deplorability, crazed eyes/”I’s”, and liars in fire pants, brought up an old timey word of judgment and awareness that goes back to past experiences of nightly Bible readings at the family dinner table following supper; and that word was: abomination.  Which prompted me to wonder what it involved, and whether entering into Abomination Territory might be a step beyond being considered Deplorable or Demented?  

While use of the word abomination connects back to unclean food and sexual acts in the OT’s book of rules for the Israelite people, Solomon’s take on it, as recorded in the Book of Proverbs, involves a set of different behaviors with far reaching consequences.  Even though he carried and lived with his own mixed bags of wisdom and foolishness, King Solomon had this to convey (from the KJV) about what constitutes an abomination in the eyes of Yahweh, the One True God, who according to the story, had honored him as a young king by giving him the gift of wisdom:   

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

When it comes to accessing what I’ve noted in regard to current political posturing,  I prefer this more recent interpretation and listing from The Message:

Here are six things God hates,

    and one more that he loathes with a passion:

        eyes that are arrogant,

        a tongue that lies,

        hands that murder the innocent,

        a heart that hatches evil plots,

        feet that race down a wicked track,

        a mouth that lies under oath,

        a troublemaker in the family. 

Also of note today, another fit with my lived experience, from AmmoGrrll over at Powerline, on what she believes necessary to accomplish anything:  To accomplish anything, you need people who come from a culture that honors work and expects results – Mormons, other Christians, ex-military, small town people, small business owners, farmers, old-school geezers working part-time in retirement, entrepreneurs, Conservatives, and Central American immigrants!  

And finally atop all that the word "abomination" and considerations of hard work brought to mind,  I also recalled this admonition from a later NT chapter in what my dad used to call, “The Good Book”. 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

New to my yard garden this Fourth of July, is Miss Ruby, a butterfly bush I picked up on sale this past week at our local nursery.  I was looking for tomato plants for MrM's deck garden, when I walked past the butterfly bush and saw a Monarch alight on one of the blooms.  And I knew then it was for me.  On the day my dad died in 1994, and for a week after, I’d had the unusual experience of a Monarch butterfly closely following me around whenever I went outdoors.  Whether it was a sign from him or not is anyone's guess, but I found it comforting, as he loved nature.  For as committed as he was to biblical principles, scripture and dogma, he also thought deeply about and genuinely appreciated the freedom to consider whatever came through to him as true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy; and I’m grateful for that legacy as well.  I’m hopeful Miss Ruby might outlast me, and provide blossoms, beauty and a place for other butterflies to land in the years to come.  Whether she does or not, she's part of this year's celebration of freedom and goodness in the land of the living, and who knows where else?