There are six things the Lord hates.
—Proverbs 6:16
Mahatma Gandhi had his list of Seven Deadly Sins:
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Religion without sacrifice
Politics without principle
A quick dip in the media pool will have you drowning in lists: rankings of sports teams, movie stars, richest persons, best-sellers, and biggest churches.
You find lists in the Bible too: Ten Commandments, six things (yea seven) the Lord hates (Prv 6:16–19), fifteen acts of the sinful nature (Gal 5:19–21), nine fruits of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22–23), eight qualities of a maturing Christian (2 Pt 1:5–7).
Among the best is Micah’s list of three things the Lord requires of us: “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mi 6:8).
Some lists bring a sigh of “Who cares?”—
But Bible lists should be taken seriously.