Is Your Prayer an Abomination?

Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look to the earth beneath, for the heavens will be torn to pieces like smoke, and the earth will be worn out like a garment, and those who inhabit her will die like gnats. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be broken to pieces. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, people who have my teaching in their heart; you must not fear the reproach of men, or be terrified because of their abuse. For a moth will eat them like garments; a moth will devour them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation for generation after generation. “

Isaiah 51:6-8

There are certain things that Yahweh calls an abomination. People sometimes like to use this word for behaviours they do not like, but then commit lesser known, or cared about abominations. An abomination is simply something Yahweh hates, and there are many things that fall into this category.

Lev 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
Lev 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
Lev 11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Lev 11:15 Every raven after his kind;
Lev 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

H8263 (Brown-Driver-Briggs)
שׁקץ
sheqets
BDB Definition:
1) detestable thing or idol, an unclean thing, an abomination, detestation
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H8262

Many would say that today we do not have to worry about these things that we eat. I would argue that these creatures that were never intended for food, cause us to have many of the diseases that we have today. The bat being used for food comes to mind most recently.

There are many things that Yahweh considers an abomination.

Pro 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
Pro 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
Pro 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Shedding the blood of the innocent can be literal or figurative according to the Messiah, Yeshua, commonly referred to as Jesus. How many people’s characters are murdered in today’s cancel culture environment.

Mat 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Mat 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Haughty eyes and sowing discord among brothers are lesser known abominations. In other translations, haughty eyes is replaced with a proud look. We have all been on the receiving end of haughty eyes, and likely have flashed some proud looks down at people that are different than we perceive ourselves to be. We are not supposed to place people in these high places either, which can cause them to be filled with pride. This idea of having the Messiah, through the Spirit of Truth as our only instructor, calling no one father or rabbi, and treating each other as brothers, seems to have been lost in two millennia of church doctrines.

Mat 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
Mat 23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
Mat 23:6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
Mat 23:7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
Mat 23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
Mat 23:11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

There are some who believe that the great sin of the Nicolaitans was the hierarchy in the church lording over the laity. It is hard to know for sure because the history of the Nicolaitans seems to be scrubbed from the historical record. That in itself may be telling us that the church was guilty of this very thing and didn’t want to be exposed, but that is speculation.

Who but the Creator of the universe knows if a person is devising wicked plans in their heart or breathes out lies? These can be some well hidden abominations to Yahweh. Deuteronomy 5:20, And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
Mar 7:22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Just measures are spoken about many times throughout scripture. Balances of deceit is another way to say stealing. Deuteronomy 5:19, And you shall not steal. 

Pro 11:1 Balances of deceit are an abomination of Yahweh, but an accurate weight delights him.

Pro 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Pro 15:9 An abomination of Yahweh is the way of the wicked, but he who pursues righteousness he will love.

Pro 15:26 Plans of evil are an abomination of Yahweh, but gracious words are pure.

Luk 16:15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

So there are many abominations to be concerned with. Essentially anything that Yahweh told us to do, that we refuse to do, is something Yahweh hates. This is summed up in Proverbs 28:9. When we turn away our ear from the law, it is like us saying to Yahweh, “What? I can’t hear you. We must have a bad connection.”. Yahweh plays along and says, “Were you praying to me? I can’t hear you.”.

Pro 28:9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

This is quite a serious statement. The word translated “hearing” in Hebrew is Shama, Strong’s H8085, which means to hear, listen and obey.

H8085
שׁמע
shâma‛
BDB Definition:
1) to hear, listen to, obey (verb)
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to
1a5) to understand (language)
1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)
1a7) to listen, give heed
1a7a) to consent, agree
1a7b) to grant request
1a8) to listen to, yield to
1a9) to obey, be obedient

If we are to take the Bible seriously, this is telling us that when we are living in deliberate disobedience to the law of Yahweh, our prayers are an abomination. I have never heard a sermon explaining this verse. This would mean that if a person is praying about a situation in their life that God considers sin, those prayers are an abomination to God and He is not listening. Does this explain the unanswered prayers and turmoil we see many people experiencing in the church?

Jer 14:10 Thus says Yahweh concerning this people: “They have loved so much to wander, they have not spared their feet. Therefore Yahweh is not favorable to them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.”
Jer 14:11 So Yahweh said to me, “You must not pray for this people, for their happiness.
Jer 14:12 Although they fast, I am not listening to their cry of entreaty. And although they present burnt offering and grain offering, I am not favorable to them. But by the sword, and by the famine, and by the plague, I am about to destroy them.”
Jer 14:13 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, look, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not be yours, but reliable peace I will give to you in this place.'”
Jer 14:14 And Yahweh said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, and I have not spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, and a divination, worthless, and the deceitfulness of their minds.”
Jer 14:15 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who prophecy in my name though I have not sent them, yet they are saying, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.””By the sword and by the famine those prophets will perish.

When reading Jeremiah, it is hard to know if it is a historical event, a prophetic event or both. There are certainly prophets today prophesying prosperity to people who are blatantly in rebellion to the instructions of Yahweh. There are also many voices saying we no longer need to be concerned with the instructions Yahweh gave at Mount Horeb. This is the enemy of Yahweh deceiving people into thinking they are serving Yahweh, with ticket in hand to the kingdom, yet in the end, finding themselves outside. The scribes and Pharisees made up their own commandments, and didn’t follow the commands given by Yahweh that were reiterated by Yeshua the Messiah.

Mat 5:18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be least in the kingdom? If the Sabbath is unimportant now, why does it become important again in the new heaven and Earth scenario? These verses are in the future, and we will someday see this fulfilled. Do you want to be one who has rebelled against Yahweh? Did Jesus really abolish the fourth commandment and reduce the Ten Commandments to nine? Wouldn’t someone have brought that up somewhere in the New Testament? After all, it is ten percent of what Yahweh said in an audible voice on mount Horeb to all of Israel. How is it justified changing the day and making it not important, when it is probably the single most important day to Yahweh?

Isa 66:22 “For just as the new heavens and earth that I am about to make shall stand before me,” declares Yahweh, “so shall your descendants and your name stand.
Isa 66:23 And this shall happen: From new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh shall come to bow in worship before me,” says Yahweh.
Isa 66:24 “And they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

I quote theses verses often because I have never heard them explained in forty-seven years of listening to sermons in three different denominations. They appear to be self explanatory, unless someone has convinced you these verses are for someone else. Another saying that Yeshua had sounds very serious as well.

Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Could these be the people who were “turning their ear from hearing the law?” Were they praying futile prayers because Yahweh stopped listening? I feel it is my commission to ask these hard questions, because there are so many who are never challenged with these scriptures. Study to ensure this is not you. Do not rely on the sermons of today to challenge or teach you. If Jesus tells you to depart, responding with, “but my pastor said” or “Billy Graham said” is going to sound ridiculous. That is why it is said there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Eze 3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me.
Eze 3:18 When I say to the wicked, ‘Surely you will die,’ and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood.
Eze 3:19 And you, if you do warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, on account of his guilt he will die, and you yourself will have saved your life.
Eze 3:20 And when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and I place a stumbling block before him, he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness that he did will not be remembered, and his blood I shall seek from your hand.
Eze 3:21 And if you warn him, the righteous, not to sin, and the righteous does not sin, surely he will live, for he heeded a warning. And you will have saved your life.”

This was the commission Yahweh gave to Ezekiel. We still need to warn the people today because there are abominations all around us. Well meaning people in the churches are taking part in abominable acts and practically no one is willing to tell them. Do what the Saviour said to do. “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”