The concept of "unpleasing" in the Bible often relates to actions, attitudes, or offerings that do not align with God's will or standards. Throughout Scripture, God expresses His desire for obedience, righteousness, and sincere worship, and anything contrary to these is deemed unpleasing to Him.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the Israelites are frequently reminded of what is pleasing and unpleasing to God. The sacrificial system established in the Mosaic Law was intended to be a means of atonement and worship. However, when these sacrifices were offered insincerely or without true repentance, they became unpleasing to God. In Isaiah 1:11-14, God expresses His disdain for empty rituals: "What is your multitude of sacrifices to Me?” says the LORD. “I am full of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats... Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them."

The prophets often called out the unpleasing behaviors of the people, urging them to return to genuine faithfulness. Micah 6:7-8 highlights what God truly desires: "Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? ... He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the focus shifts from ritualistic observance to the condition of the heart. Jesus Christ emphasized that true worship and obedience come from within. In Matthew 15:8-9, He quotes Isaiah, saying, "These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men."

The Apostle Paul also addresses what is unpleasing to God in his letters. In Romans 8:8, he states, "Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God." This highlights the importance of living by the Spirit rather than succumbing to sinful nature. Furthermore, in Ephesians 5:10-11, Paul encourages believers to "test and prove what pleases the Lord. Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."

Moral and Ethical Implications

The Bible consistently teaches that unpleasing actions stem from a heart not aligned with God's will. This includes idolatry, injustice, immorality, and hypocrisy. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists behaviors that are detestable to God, such as "a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes."

Believers are called to live lives that are pleasing to God, characterized by faith, love, and obedience. Hebrews 11:6 underscores the necessity of faith: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Conclusion

The biblical concept of what is unpleasing to God serves as a reminder of the importance of sincerity, righteousness, and a heart devoted to Him. Through the guidance of Scripture and the Holy Spirit, believers are equipped to discern and avoid what is unpleasing, striving instead to live in a manner that honors and glorifies God.884. acharistos -- ungracious, ungrateful
... of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: acharistos Phonetic Spelling: (ach-ar'-is-
tos) Short Definition: ungrateful Definition: ungrateful, ungracious, unpleasing ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/884.htm - 7k

Division and Argument
... Whence such figures are not unpleasing as, "I had almost forgotten to say"; "It
escaped my memory to acquaint you"; and "You have given me a good hint." For if ...
/.../kleiser/the training of a public speaker/division and argument.htm

Passion and Persuasion
... orator ought to direct all his efforts, this being his principal work and labor,
since without it all other resources are naked, hungry, weak, and unpleasing. ...
/.../kleiser/the training of a public speaker/passion and persuasion.htm

Some Hymns and Hymn-Books
... In the course of some not unpleasing observations on the several sects of Christendom,
Miss Macaulay speaks of the Greek Church as if it had not revised its ...
/.../manning/the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/some hymns and hymn-books.htm

Paganism and Mr. Lowes Dickinson
... take historic Christianity with all its sins upon its head; I take it, as I would
take Jacobinism, or Mormonism, or any other mixed or unpleasing human product ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xii paganism and mr lowes.htm

The Way of Light.
... Thou shalt not join thyself to those who walk in the way of death. Thou shalt hate
doing what is unpleasing to God: thou shalt hate all hypocrisy. ...
/.../barnabas/the epistle of barnabas /chapter xix the way of light.htm

Commandments to Men.
... If, therefore, thou wilt be acceptable to God, abstain from all those things which
He hates, and do none of those things that are unpleasing to Him. ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec ii commandments to men.htm

And First, Indeed in Enjoining us to Pray, He by the Very ...
... see how he anticipates his worshippers, and desires them to follow, and therefore
we cannot fear that the melody which he himself dictates will prove unpleasing ...
/.../calvin/of prayer--a perpetual exercise of faith/chapter 13 and first indeed.htm

Meditations to Stir us up to Morning Prayer.
... will they, nill they) to so holy an exercise; assuring thyself, that it doth by
so much the more please God, by how much the more it is unpleasing to thy flesh ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations to stir us up.htm

Sensuality is a Power of Our Soul
... recking and reigning in the bodily wits, through the which we have bodily knowing
and feeling of all bodily creatures, whether they be pleasing or unpleasing. ...
/.../anonymous/the cloud of unknowing/here beginneth the six and 5.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. Chap. v. 3 and 8, "Blessed are ...
... God, that in that thou doest well He may be well-pleasing to thee, not thou to thyself;
and in that thou sufferest ill justly, He may not be unpleasing to thee ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon iii on the words.htm

Unpleasing (6 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Unpleasing (6 Occurrences). 1 Thessalonians 2:15
Who put to death the Lord Jesus and the prophets, violently ...
/u/unpleasing.htm - 8k

Quality (14 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 24:1 If a man takes a wife, and after they are married she is unpleasing
to him because of some bad quality in her, let him give her a statement in ...
/q/quality.htm - 11k

Violently (92 Occurrences)
... 1 Thessalonians 2:15 Who put to death the Lord Jesus and the prophets, violently
driving us out; who are unpleasing to God and against all men; (BBE). ...
/v/violently.htm - 35k

Ungrateful (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Unpleasing; unacceptable; disagreeable; as, harsh sounds are ungrateful
to the ear. Multi-Version Concordance Ungrateful (2 Occurrences). ...
/u/ungrateful.htm - 7k

Unplowed (3 Occurrences)

/u/unplowed.htm - 7k

Unpleasant (3 Occurrences)

/u/unpleasant.htm - 7k

Ungracious (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (a.) Having no grace; graceless; wicked. 3. (a.) Not well received; offensive;
unpleasing; unacceptable; not favored. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/u/ungracious.htm - 7k

Oneself (10 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion
of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me. (BBE). ...
/o/oneself.htm - 9k

Tens (17 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 18:8 And Saul was very angry and this saying was unpleasing to him; and
he said, They have given David credit for tens of thousands, and to me for ...
/t/tens.htm - 11k

Perverted (26 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion
of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me. ...
/p/perverted.htm - 13k

What is the Feast of Dedication? | GotQuestions.org

Unpleasing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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