Lies and Hatred

Ἐμίσησας πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν· κἂν δοῦλος ᾑ, φησὶ, κἂν ἐλεύθερος, κἂν βασιλεὺς, κἂν ὁστισοῦν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς τοὺς φίλους ἐγκρίνειν ὁ Θεὸς εἰωθεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τῶν παχυτέρων οὐδὲν ἡγοῦνται τὸ μὶσος εἶναι, ἄκεοσιν πῶς ἐπήγαγε καὶ κολάσεως φόβον, εἰπών Ἀπολεῖς πάντας τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος· ἐπὶ τὸ παχύτερον τῶν ἁμαρτανομένον τὸν λόγον μετατιθείς. Οὐ γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ μίσους στήσεται τὰ τῆς τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας, καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο ἄφατος κόλασις· ἀλλ κὰὶ πάντας ἀπολεῖ τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος. Καίτοι καὶ τὸ πρότερον χαλεπὸν, καὶ γεέννης χεῖρον, τὸ μσηθῆναι παρὰ Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς συνιέναι δυναμένους ἐκεῖνο ἔθηκε· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς παχυτέρους καὶ τοῦτο προσέθηκε. Μὴ τοίνυν θορυβηθῇς, ἄνθρωπε, μηδὲ ταράττου, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃς τινὰς ψευδομένους, ἁρπάζοντας, πλεονεκτοῦντας, καὶ μηδὲν πάσχοντας δεινόν· ἔσται γὰρ πάντως τοῦτο. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ φύσις· ἀποστρέφεται πονηρίαν, μισεῖ τε αὐτὴν ἀεὶ, καὶ ἀπεχθάνεται. Τοὺς δὲ λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος ἐνταῦθα λέγει τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ βιοῦντας, τοὺς τὰ ψευδῆ πράγματα διώκοντας, τοὺς περὶ ἡδονὰς, τοὺς περὶ γαστριμαργίαν, τοὺς περὶ πλεονεξίαν ἐπτοημένους. Οἶδε γὰρ πάντα ταῦτα ψεύδη καελῖν. Ἄνδρα αἱμάτων καὶ δόλιον βδελύσσεται Κύριος. Τὸν φιονικὸν  ἐνταῦθά φησι, τὸν ἐπιβουλεύοντα, τὸν ὕπουλον, τὸν ἄλλα μὲν ἐπὶ στόματος φέροντα, ἕτερα δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας, τὸν περικείμενον πρσωπεῖον ἐπιεικείας, τὰ δὲ λύκων ἐπιδεικνύμενον, οὖ χεῖρον οῦκ ἂν γένοιτο οὐδὲν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δῆλος ἐχθρὸς καὶ εὐφύλακτος γένοιτο' ἂν · ὁ δὲ συγκαλύπτων τὴν πονηρίαν καὶ χρώμενος τῇ κακίᾳ, δυσφώρατος ὢν, πολλὰ ἐργάζεται τὰ δεινά. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Χριστὸς, ἡνίκα ἂν παραγίνοιντο, νήφειν ἐκέλευσεν. Ἔρχονται γὰρ πρὸς ὑμὰς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δὲ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τον Ε' Ψαλμον

‘You hate everyone who acts wickedly.’ 1 Whether he be servant, or a free man, or a king, or whatever his station. For it is not from status but from virtue that God is accustomed to choose his friends. But because there are not a few who judge hatred to be nothing, hear how he goes on, introducing the fear of punishment: ‘You destroy all who speak a lie.’ 1 Thus directing his speech toward the more foolish. For not at hatred does the punishment stop, which indeed may be an ineffable punishment, but even He destroys all who speak a lie. Thus what comes before is also a heavy thing, worse than hell, to have the hate of God, and he gives it to those who are able to understand, and then the latter he adds, directing it to the more stupid. Do not then be perplexed, O man, do not be troubled, because you see those who lie and thieve achieving gain, and having no fear, for this shall not always be. Such is the nature of God that He is averse to wickedness, always hating and abhorring it. They who tell lies he names those who live wickedly, those who engage in deeds of the lie, those who lust, are gluttonous, and avaricious. These things he is accustomed to name lies. 'The man of blood and cunning is an abomination to the Lord.' 1 He speaks of a man given to killing, who plots, who is deceitful and shifty, who has one thing in his mouth and another in his mind, who presents a meek and friendly countenance but by his deeds shows himself a wolf. The overt enemy is more easily avoided, he who hides his wickedness, and does evil, when it is not easy to perceive, he does more evil. Whence Christ, when they near, exhorts us to be sober and attentive. 'For they come to you in sheep’s vestments, and within they are rapacious wolves.'  2 Saint John Chrysostom, from the Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 5 1 Ps 5.7 2 Mt 7.15