But God is always there. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Blog, A It may come as a surprise that some specific teachings on showing love toward enemies appear only in the Old Testament. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Remember he's God. 4:12; 1 Pet. The Lord said to Moses, Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Witchcraft is a practice that involves the use of spells, incantations, special objects, symbols, and ceremonies to by Matt Slick | Mar 22, 2023 | Questions, Marriage, Sexuality. He is addressing faulty interpretations of the Law. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. 35 Major Bible Verses About Loving Your Enemies (2022 Love) He and his wife, Mae, reside in Western North Carolina. 23:6; Ps. God bless you. Well that's the Old Testament. Moreover, those who persecute us today may, in Gods grace, become those who protect us tomorrow. Theyre not quite as easy to see but actually theyre not that difficult to see either. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and . You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. When you need guidance, turn to God. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our enemies, as well as the blessed consequence of obedience. Love letters are expressions of love in the form of writing, whether with a paper and pen, an email, or even a text message to a . Then hed notify the Israelite king Jehoram so he could pull a no-show. Solution: God never commanded His people at any time to hate their enemies (see comments on Mal. D No end was in sight. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain. So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. It is important to acknowledge ways that Jesus teachings stand in tension with some aspects of the Old Testament. Love Your Enemies Meaning in Matthew 5:44 Explained - Importance In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. Your submission has been received! Pray for those who persecute you. 1:3 ). Hes referring to this commandment, Love your neighbor. Great question. I realize this doctrine poses a significant . In the Old Testament, there is a verse in Leviticus 19:18 that states, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people. David was a type of this kind of searching love when he returned to Jerusalem. God adopted His enemies to be His sons and daughters. But if he says to you, I will not go out from you, because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. A simple way to look at it is everybodys got something. 20. These, like Matthew, and Zacchaeus, were tax collectors. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.. Jesus refers to the Old Testament Scriptures often in Matthews Gospel, and He never uses any phrase like you have heard, to quote them. So he takes that straight out of the Old Testament, but he also says "you have heard it said that you should 'hate your enemy.'" That is a little more difficult, because nowhere in the Old Testament is there ever a command to hate one's enemy. Thats how you can tell who your neighbor is, the person who loves you. Yet, His childrenthat is, you and Iare children by holy adoption. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. . P I'm a "progressive" ", "Dear Bob, Read Chapter 6 of Orgien's On Prayer, a work that Mr. Engwer himself ", "Excellent as always. Verse 2, "If your brother be not near unto thee or if thou know him not," maybe it's somebody you don't even know. Now, we know that there was some debate on this whole concept in Jesuss time because a guy came up one time and asked, Who is my neighbor? Whats he referring to? Love Your Enemies (). Launched in 2017 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the worlds No. What Does the Bible Say About Loving Your Enemies? Such radical gospel transformation is, now, the operating hypothesis for the people of God. The gospel is, like C.S. [47] And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? This separates us from those who have evil and hatred in their hearts. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.. "Love Your Enemies." This is one of the few statements Jesus made that is readily accepted by believers and skeptics alike. This is the proof right here. bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Learn about the best Christian goals and how to accomplish them with pray.com. What Does the Bible Say About Forgiving Your Enemies? - OpenBible.info Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning, It is something that is easy to say and nearly impossible to do: love your enemies. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Throughout the Scriptures, we are commanded to treat even those who hate us with dignity and compassion as men and women created in the image of God. Now that weve gone over what it means to love your enemies lets look at some examples.. Thats not a quotation. Exodus 23:4-5,Leviticus 19:18,Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV - "If you meet your Is Ephraim my dear son? Like the man in Luke 10, religious people have compartmentalized who gets God's love through us. I dont know what their conclusion was. The alien is the same as the citizen. U "1 Samuel 25-26: Love Your Enemies," Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide . The statement "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy" in Matt 5:43 turns out to be a good summary of the sectarian interpretation of Lev 19:17-18. One way to go about this would be to address them directly. You dont have to love them like you love your parents or children or best friend. Is there an underlying reason for their attitude and actions? Wealth & Archaeology. You shall love your neighbor.. To love as Christ loved us is to receive and share the reward of such love: new life. I think anyone whos ever read the Old Testament knows that and so Jesus is correcting this idea thats so prevalent in his day that not only is it okay to hate certain people that you label as enemies, its commanded by God but it wasnt. And prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die., Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.. Love Your Enemies, Part 2 - Grace to You Loving Your Enemies, Is That a New or an Old Testament Concept? [1] In addition to ethical Docetism, attempts to see Jesus as a lone and subversive revolutionary often lead to the anachronistic claim that he taught something completely unprecedented here. O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power. The fault here, however, is not with Jesus or the Old Testament. (Matt 5:43). First of all, Jesus Himself said that His teachings were a development of existing ones in the Old Testament: This looks bad at first glance, but upon close examination, I think it is simply expressing the thought that those whom God judges, I also judge [in agreement with Gods prior decision]; they deserve their condemnation. Its expressing the notion of judgment or proper justice or righteous indignation at those who indeed are among the reprobate, on their way to hell. Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. What Does the Bible Say About Love? Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 168 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. And I will betroth you to me forever. He has authored numerous books, including a 500-page equipping manual titled The Disciple Making-Minister, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. Praying is loving, as our Heavenly Father loves. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. But Jesus doesnt stop there. Therefore, we are taught by Jesus in the same passages to pray for them. 4(A)If you meet your enemys ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. Just have loving feelings toward them and, if possible, express that through words, by doing something nice, or even with a smile. E Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. K This remains a challenge for our generation, as well. We greatly appreciate your consideration! He is also founder and president of Heavens Family, a Christian nonprofit that is advancing Jesus kingdom in more than 40 nations around the world. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.. Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you. You cant find that anywhere in the Law of Moses? Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. You see example after example of God showing underserved mercy and grace and long-suffering. Of course I have already talked in previous little lessons about how confusing that must have been if it were true to his disciples because often times people who hold to that premise will say, Well, this is the New Covenant law, but yet Jesus was ministering under the Old Covenant. Of course hes quoting from the Old Covenant law, the Law of Moses and hes making counterpoints but hes not correcting himself.