Strife
Six things Adonai hates,
yes, seven are abominations to Him: …
one who STIRS UP STRIFE among brothers.” (Pro 6:16, 19 TLV,
emphasis mine)
Many Bible versions
use the word ‘discord’ in this verse; the actual Hebrew word is medân
(Strong’s H4090), and means strife, discord, and contention. Interesting to note that this word is only found
three times in the Tanakh (the Old
Testament) and all are within the
book of Proverbs, concerning relationships between people. Let us also look at the word translated as ‘brothers’: this is the Hebrew word 'âch (Strong’s H251), and means not only brothers of the same
blood, but also of the same tribe, clan and family. When used in connection with the nation of
Israel, 'âch includes all of it, for they are all descendants of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob (see Lev 10:6). Those of us who
have been grafted in (Rom 11:17) should always
be cautious, for this admonition also covers all of those who are attempting to
walk this Torah walk.
What are the causes of strife? Turning again to our friend Noah Webster, one
of his definitions of strife is “Contention in anger or enmity; contest; struggle for victory; quarrel or war.”[1] By looking
at this definition, may I suggest to you that ALL of the previous six attributes that our Elohim hates will lead
to strife among the brethren (Pro 6:16-19).
Torah is all about community and relationships, about how to live alongside one another, and how we interact with our Elohim. Messiah Yeshua tells us that the two greatest commandments are first, to love our Creator with everything in us, and second, to love our neighbor (also interpreted as a member of the nation of Israel) as we love and care for ourselves (Luke 10:25-28). With this being the case, it is not difficult to understand why this seventh ‘matter’, the causing of strife, is such an abomination, such a thing of contempt and disgust, to the One who formed us.
We are all individual, with our personal likes and dislikes. Occasionally, there will be that one who will rub us the wrong way, and whom we have a difficult time getting along with. This is human nature; our Father never desired a race of identical clones. Despite all of this, we must remember that there is no ceiling on good manners, and the fruit that we display (Gal 5:22-23) are there to be tested by those around us.
It is unfortunate that there are those who take a perverse sort of pleasure in sowing seeds of strife, of setting one against another, then sitting back to watch the end result. I would venture to say that such a one will most likely be home to any or all of the characteristics that our Creator ‘hates’. Let us be careful, brethren, in our moments of ‘self-sovereignty’, that this charge would never be laid at our door.
“A
renewed command I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this shall all know that you are My taught
ones, if you have love for one another.” (John
14:34-35 ISR)
©2022
[1] American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, emphasis mine
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