Abomination?

"Abomination" ... what a stunning word. I speaks of more than "dislike." It is an intense loathing. An abomination is something detestable, abhorrent, vile, shameful.

The Old Testament is full of "abominations".

The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God (Deut. 7:25).

If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword (Deut. 13:12-15). (See also Deut. 17.)

You shall not eat any abomination (Deut. 14:3).

You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God (Deut. 17:1).

When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you" (Deut. 18:9-12).

A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God (Deut. 22:5).

You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God (Deut. 23:18).

When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance (Deut. 24:1-4).

You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God (Deut. 25:13-16). (See also Prov. 11:1; 20:10, 23.)

Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret (Deut. 27:15).

The devious person is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in his confidence (Prov. 3:32).

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

Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight (Prov. 11:20).

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him (Prov. 15:8). (See also Prov. 21:27.)

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD (Prov. 17:15).

A quick list:
* Idolatry
* Eating "unclean" food
* Sacrifice with blemishes
* "Divination" (any of a variety of things considered "magic" related)
* Cross-dressing
* The fee of a prostitute given to God
* Remarrying a spouse who remarried
* Dishonest business practices
* False judgment

Interestingly, most Christians would still agree to this day with many on that list, even though it's "Old Testament". Oh, sure, we might question the "unclean food". Some might question "cross-dressing". And, of course, very few are concerned anymore about divorce and remarriage.

Some are questioning some of the things God says are "abominable" these days. One of the primary reasons is the "Old Testament" nature of it. A lot of Christians have bought a wholesale dismissal of "Old Testament", as if God changed His mind. Without really fighting that fight, I have to ask the rationale when it comes to this shortlist of "abominations".

Here's the suggestion, even though it's never voiced. "God hated those things back then, but He feels a lot better about them now." Now, I can see that some things might change. An extremely obvious example would be the command against sacrifices with blemishes. Clearly our current sacrifice, Christ Himself, was without blemish and, therefore, we don't make sacrifices with blemishes. Does that mean that God likes blemished sacrifices now? Obviously not.

The question I'm asking is how it is that God would change? The idea is that He found some things beyond wrong in times past; He found them detestable. They weren't merely a violation of His commands; they were abominable. What would make us think that has changed?

Still, Christians are uncomfortable when it comes to these passages:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination (Lev. 18:22).

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them (Lev. 20:13).

When you see Christians trying to discuss why they think homosexual behavior is a sin, they will mention these in passing. It's "Old Testament". It doesn't matter to us anymore. Even the president in the series The West Wing used this to lambaste a Christian. "Oh," he chided, "should we get rid of footballs because pigs are unclean?"

I think the point is missed. I'm not talking about bringing back Old Testament Law. I'm not talking about restoring the command to avoid having sex with your wife when she's menstruating or outlawing pork. That debate isn't necessary here. The Bible says that it isn't merely immoral; it's detestable. It's not merely the wrong thing to do; it's abhorrent to God. We can debate all day whether or not the Old Testament Law is still in effect for Christians, but can we even start to suggest that somehow God changed His mind about what He likes and abhors? I'm not getting it.