Hands that shed innocent blood
Proverbs 6:16–17
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
From eyes to tongue to hands, Solomon is continuing to show us how we live in ways that upset the Lord. Today, we focus on hands that shed innocent blood. The direct meaning is the violent taking of innocent life. But the principle should also make us ask a smaller, uncomfortable question: Are innocent people being wounded because of my sin?
Where am I harming the innocent?
I am harming the innocent when I snap at my child because of my own failure to regulate my emotions.
I am harming the innocent when I bully my spouse through stubbornness.
I am harming the innocent when I choose to joke coarsely rather than encourage.
I am harming the innocent when I tear down a co-worker in order to exalt myself.
I am harming the innocent when I force someone else to pay for my bad day.
How many people have we left bruised and bloody in the path of our sinfulness and selfishness?
How many times are we blinded by our hurt and ignorant of the damage we are doing to others?
The final fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is self-control. This is an antidote for harming the innocent. For too many of us, our impulse control is inadequate, and our anger, frustration, and reactions are too often experienced by others. We must stop blaming our personality, our wiring, and our reactions as things we cannot control. As believers, we should grow in the fruit of self-control through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What innocent person in your path is being harmed due to your lack of self-control?
Who gets the brunt of the mud you sling?
What can you do to apologize for harming the innocent?
Today, don't merely ask God to give you better self-control. Repent of the harm you have caused. Apologize where you need to apologize. Then ask the Holy Spirit to grow in you the self-control that keeps your pain from becoming someone else's wound.
