Proverbs 14:2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
Reading through Proverbs 14, the last part of that verse stuck out to me. “He that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.”
Perverse is defined:
1. Literally, turned aside; hence, distorted from the right.
2. Obstinate in the wrong; disposed to be contrary; stubborn; untractable.
3. Cross; petulant; peevish; disposed to cross and vex.
And to despise is:
1. To contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have the lowest opinion of.
2. To abhor.
So perverse doesn’t necessarily mean sexually deviant. It just means turned aside from that which is right. Proverbs 14:2, if you’re not upright, you’re perverse.
And if you’re not upright, you’re not neutral toward God, you despise Him. You abhor Him. You have the lowest opinion of Him.
There’s no such thing as neutrality in the Christian life. If you love God, you keep His commandments. If you don’t keep His commandments, it means you don’t love Him. And you can’t be perverse (not upright, not keeping His commandments) and be “OK with God.” The Bible says you despise Him.
We don’t naturally think this way. But that’s why the Bible is so important. It corrects our thinking. It helps us be transformed by the renewing of our minds so we can prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
