Make It Make Sense

There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
17         haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19

These verses have always intrigued me. Why say there are six things God hates and then list seven things that are detestable? Are hatred and detestableness synonyms? The modern definitions seem to suggest that. Detestable things are deserving of intense dislike. Hate is an intense and passionate dislike for someone. I've used both words in different contexts. I don't like using the word 'hate' because of its implications. I can detest something and still put up with it. There are things in this world that I hate, and yet I have few options to effect change. The missionary path is a slow one, and it necessitates a certain lessening of one's own expression of political or social opinions. People you thought should know better make incomprehensible decisions and hold inconsistent opinions. And yet I am called to love them as Christ loves them. 

Obviously, there's a lot going on in the world that prompted these ruminations. The situation in Ukraine, the protests in Canada, genocide in China, battles in universities, our own governmental incompetence - just one of these would be enough to drive you mad, even if there wasn't an ongoing pandemic. But to have all of these occurring at once along with our usual cares and concerns is untenable. I find myself forced to ignore many injustices in order to function from day to day. 

I know there is only one viable solution. The world focuses on the tangible, maneuvering their troops like they were chess pieces and not individual human beings with souls in need of a Savior. I do what I can to reach who I can whilst maintaining my own sanity. 

But there are two phrases I feel like I need to address. 

1: History is written by the victors. In the immediate aftermath of an event, perhaps this is true. But history is just that - history. It is a series of events that lead to other events, culminating in an understanding of how we got to the world we live in today. Historians may speculate on why something happened, but we are primarily focused on the fact that it happened and what then happened because of that. Truth will out. Given enough time and distance from an event, it is fairly easy to piece together the series of syllogisms that are history. Because of A and B, C. In my opinion, this can ONLY be done with time and distance. I can tell you some of the historical events connected to the first Gulf War, but I cannot write a definitive book on the subject because it happened recently enough that it is still impacting people's lives. Are there events that have been lost to time? Yes. The land of Punt is a largely unknown quantity for historians. But we know it existed because of the impact it had on ancient Egypt. 

2. The right side of history If you want to see my blood boil, say this phrase in front of me. It's almost become a threat today - if you want to be on the right side of history, then you'll do X. But there is no right or wrong side of history. History doesn't (or shouldn't) take sides. History can only tell you what was and what resulted from that. We should learn from these things, but we cannot make moral judgments about events. A thing isn't good or bad because it happened. A thing is good or bad because of the motivations and decisions of people that made it happen. As a Christian historian, I could judge something by whether or not it follows God's laws and plans. But for secular historians, right and wrong are defined by popular opinion, and that changes like the wind. 

I have so many more thoughts about this. Avoiding the news seems impossible these days, and there is always someone ready to excoriate you for holding an opinion, not holding an opinion, or just existing in a way that offends them. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: all I can do is live in a way that is pleasing to God, doing my best to fulfill his plan for my life, and encouraging others to do the same. 

History will write itself. It was ever thus. We just happen to know how it ends.