Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. . The word perfect, in the original Greek, means complete. First, seek to understand their side and try hard to understand where they're coming from. 5:8). Love for ones enemy even extended to his animal. In this passage, Jesus is seated before a crowd and teaching the Word of God that is being fulfilled in His own person. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of ten I will not destroy it., For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him., I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! J Hes expecting more out of them than God expected out of anyone before them. God doesnt change. Thats how you can tell who your neighbor is, the person who loves you. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for. 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. [29] To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. (cf. It does not envy, it does not boast, it isn't proud. While you handily dismantle his claim ". "Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you." "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. Matthew frequently records Jesus challenging the Pharisees with phrases like, Have you not read?1For example, Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:5, Matthew 19:4, Matthew 21:16, Matthew 21:42 Matthew 22:31 Never, have you not heard? When speaking from the Prophet Daniel, Jesus bids let the reader understand, not let the hearer understand. This pattern is extremely consistent. He's the inspirer of it, the . It is the belief that you should love your enemies. We read in Proverbs 25:21: If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. It is the case, though, that God's People have always sought to circumvent this teaching of Scripture down through the centuries. 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. Its not in all caps because its not a quote. Today's climate makes it easy to harbor feelings of resentment toward others or toward a specific group of people. Giving attention to various critical theories, John Piper presents evidence that the early church earnestly advocated for non-retaliatory love, extending it to those who practiced . All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. The Gospel of Matthew doesnt present Jesus as speaking of the Scriptures themselves as something heard, but rather as something read. So in Matthew 5, when Jesus uses the formula of you have heard it saidbut I say, Jesus is not arguing with the passage itself. But if we keep reading what Jesus said here in the context of the fact that hes correcting pharisaical teaching seems pretty safe to conclude that the scribes and Pharisees had determined your neighbor is the person who loves you. What are the real ways that believers can love their enemies?, "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." Save 15% for life! Theyre twisting which has become so clear as weve been reading through this and weve already looked at three out of the six you have heard but I say to you statements by Jesus. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice., He said, Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you., Then he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. But I say, love your enemies! Hes referring to this commandment, Love your neighbor. Great question. Praying is loving, as our Heavenly Father loves. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught, we should not be surprised when unbelievers are converted to Christ. Listen to ourDaily Bible Verse Podcast Now! And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? He said to the woman, Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. So what about those enemies in the Old Testament? We greatly appreciate your consideration! John Donne (1572-1631), the poet-preacher of St. Pauls, London, wrote of Matthew 5: All the articles of our religion, all the canons of our church, all the injunctions of our princes, all the homilies of our fathers, all the body of divinity, is in these three chapters, in this one Sermon on the Mount.1The Sermon on the Mount, on a hill north of Galilee, has been called a radical re-interpretation of the Old Testament Scriptures by Jesus. To continue hating, resenting, or holding a grudge against another person is to remain on the cross. When he says, Youve heard it said, hes not saying, God said. Of course he didnt say, God said. He said, Youve heard that it was said. But the reality of it, it wasnt said. Can we find this teaching of Jesus in the Old Testament? All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.. ", As stated previously, forgiveness doesnt mean you have to invite the person to dine at your table. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. You may have similar interests or similar experiences while growing up. Love for one's enemy even extended to his animal. And God separated the light from the darkness. views, likes, loves, comments, shares, Facebook Watch Videos from David Ajiboye Ministries International: SUNDAY WELFARE AND THANKSGIVNG. But Jesus, as he so often does, turns . Responding to evil with more evil does not solve the problem. 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. That is a valid question because under the Old Covenant, God told Israelites in some cases to wipe out people and to be separate from certain people, not to associate with certain people because of their incredibly sinful cultures and lies. Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C,, Hit by friendly fire: what to do when fellow believers hurt you, 3 Real Ways Christians Can Love Their Enemies. Jesus goes on . What happens next is crucial, for Elisha (as if in the persona of Jesus)[2] responded as follows: You shall not strike them down. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. We have to pick up here on our next little lesson. Now more than ever, we need to implement these teachings into our lives. While no Bible verse explicitly says "hate your enemy," the Pharisees may have somewhat misapplied some of the Old Testament passages about hatred for God's enemies (Psalm 139:19-22; 140:9-11). Jesus teachings on loving enemies were woven from the richly varied threads of Scripture, which He heard, learned, debated and taught from a very young age. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. Matthew 7:12. What did Jesus mean when He instructed us to turn the other cheek. That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. U This humbling situation is magnified by the appointed Jewish governors and other public officials who are seen as turncoats. I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. The command to love your neighbors comes from Leviticus, and reads: You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord, (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus said the greatest commands were to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself ( Matt. Matthew 5:43-47 (RSV) "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. What Does it Mean to 'Love Your Enemies'? Hes raising the standard, so under the Law of Moses, God didnt want Israel to love their enemies? Old Testament The English word "love" has many different meanings. Psalm 136:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.. He keeps saying something and he says, And hate your enemy. In my Bible, And hate your enemy is not in all caps. 10:30], Matt. Tradwives are heterosexual women who prefer the traditional roles where men work outside the home, and they work by Matt Slick | Mar 8, 2023 | Bible Verses, Questions. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. What does it mean to pray for your enemies? Interestingly, Jesus considered this the second-highest commandment in the law. Yet, there are those who cry foul here, saying that Jesus statement is predicated on a misquotation of the Old Testament and a false assumption that the Old Testament taught people to hate their enemies. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. We are also concerned with Luke 6:27: But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 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. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and . It may come as a surprise that some specific teachings on showing love toward enemies appear only in the Old Testament. You may even be surprised at what you find out. Each time the Syrian King tried to attack Israel, Elisha used his prophetic radar to anticipate his attacks. love your enemies, bless those who curse you. There is no reason for you to remain on a painful cross of unlovingness, or in the shame-shrouded tomb of lifelessness. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. How can we know this? [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45 . 22:36-37, 39 ). This is especially true regarding social media and how we use it., But we need to watch out for feelings of resentment because resentment can turn into hatred if were not careful., Since we are so divided, it can seem impossible to love your enemies. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. Luke 6:35-36 states, But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. To follow Jesus, you must love your enemies. When you love your enemies, you eliminate hatred from your heart and you show that Jesus is the Lord of your life. This is consistent with other statements in the law like: If you meet your enemys ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. But did Israel really live this out this ethos? 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. Jesus began to teach a message very similar to the Sermon on the Mount. Loving your enemies, is that a New or an Old Testament concept? B Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. He believed it was nearly as vital as loving God with your whole heart. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. N Blog, A Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord., And the Lord said to me, Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.. 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. 4:4. In the Old Testament the enemy is our neighbor. Now that weve gone over what it means to love your enemies lets look at some examples.. The question were asking today is about a very familiar commandment, love your enemies. When Jesus says, Youve heard it said, then he says, You shall love your neighbor, hate your enemy, hes smart enough to know that the second part of that is not in the Old Testament anywhere. The thesis of the book is simply is this: as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, the cross of Christ was transformed from an instrument of shame to a sign of salvation. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. They and other unscrupulous figures who use their delegated authority from Rome to fleece their own people represent an existential threat to Israels identity. Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life and grow your faith journey. But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. And in a world where donkeys and oxen were means of personal livelihood, it is no small thing that the law commands Gods people to love their enemy by rescuing and returning their animals: When you come upon your enemys ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. Just have loving feelings toward them and, if possible, express that through words, by doing something nice, or even with a smile. Enemies in the Old Testament. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. How easily a unified people become Balkanized (broken into competing groups, divided) when pride and self-interests supersede love and a common heritage in God. G The Old Testament is love your neighbor and your neighbor includes your enemy. God is an unchanging God of love (cf. It simply means you cant let bitterness and hatred grow in your heart. The Old Testament commands to kill entire enemy peoples were specific and limited to particular events. Several years ago I wrote a book called Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do when other believers hurt you. To love your enemy means to try and understand them and behave toward them as you would like them to do to you. Interestingly, Mormonism alters Jesus words here and accidentally creates the very problem for which Jesus is falsely accused! To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here. Pray for those who persecute you. Learn about the different ways to move on with Pray.com, Learn about emotional intelligence with pray.com. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? So why does Jesus say that it says to hate your enemies? Love for Enemies. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today. You come down from the cross, out of the tomb, and are, like the Lord, renewed to eternal life. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, . Today, the hatred we feel for other people is a universal problem.. There are many ways to express love, even for an enemy. 3:6 ), and He cannot hate any person, nor can He command anyone else to do so. But one of his most notable teachings was his thoughts on loving your neighbor., Its easy to remember Matthew 5:44, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you., First, in order to understand why Jesus said this, we have to go further back into the Bible, to the Old Testament., In ancient times, there was something known as the Lex Talionis, or the law of retaliation. It was basically An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth type thinking. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you've done. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. We are in no permanent position of hatred and enmity with others. The Lord appeared to him from far away. Do not even the tax collectors do the same? by Luke Wayne | Oct 3, 2017 | Questions, Other. I dont know what their conclusion was. As many Christians already know, in Matthew 22:3640, there was a question that was asked of Jesus as to which is the great commandment in the law?, Jesus responded by saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. It's fascinating that to love one's neighbor is the second commandment. Is Ephraim my dear son? There is no transformation in such scenarios. [2] John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, was identified as a new Elijah, who was the forerunner of Elisha. Lewis Aslan, on the move! When faced with the enemies of God, it is best to take those who have hurt us or even persecutors and leave them at the foot of the cross in prayer. These three components of our Saviors sermons provide practical ways that we can love and forgive our enemies.. Paul quotes this proverb in Romans 12:20, most likely as a specific instantiation of Jesus command in the Sermon on the Mount. Used by permission. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.". Scripture taken from the New King James Version. [47] And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? But some folks were saying that thats something that the world never heard before and that a new ethic, a new standard of morality. During His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus utters the powerful words: You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:43-44). And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! 1 app for daily prayer and faith-based media content. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord. Theres a little revelation there. The second part, "hate your enemy," doesn't appear anywhere in the Old Testament. Are you kidding me? Thus, even as I promise to do as you say, I'm also asking you to give me the strength to do the impossible. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your . It is what Jesus did on the cross; it is the Gospel. This makes it sound as if Yeshua was replacing the Torah's law "to hate our enemies" with a new law of love for our enemies: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Its one thing to have laws and teachings about loving enemies. Maybe theres someone who you resent or even feel hatred toward?, Almost everyone has those kinds of individuals around them at some point in their lives. Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 392 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. But thats all I could find in the Old Testament. In practice, many people felt that they should love fellow Jews and it did not matter if . The Old Testament nowhere requires Israel to hate its enemies. Do We See Any Gospel Connections in the Book of Numbers? However, your enemies will force you to take a closer look at your life. The Queen of Sheba, Solomon, & Archaeology, Solomon's Temple and its Archaeological Analogies, Solomon's "Impossible" (?) The Book of Mormon tells a story of Jesus descending from heaven in ancient America and preaching the Sermon on the Mount again to the people there. The proposed idea is that Jesus turns the vengeance-consumed Old Testament on its head. Humans have feelings of hate, motivated by an idea that another person has harmed us in some way. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 32:35; 1 Sam. In the New Testament, quite clearly, Jesus is not presenting a new ethic. 1 John 4:16; Mal. Youll see that today is no different and that helps then put the other two within context. We might hate the wicked ways of those around us as they represent an affront to Gods holiness. When you are facing obstacles, Jesus is always in your corner. Now we will come back to the third and the fifth but Im looking at the ones First of all, theyre the most obvious that make it so plain to us that the ethic that Jesus was subscribing to and conveying to his disciples was in every case Old Covenant ethics of morality. Everybody knows Jesus said that. 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. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. "1 Samuel 25-26: Love Your Enemies," Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 98 "1 Samuel 25-26," Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 98 1 Samuel 25-26. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Thats not a quotation. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Wealth & Archaeology. May I live this day according to your Word, for your glory, and by your strength. And said, By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. Youre proving that youre sons of your father when you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our enemies, as well as the blessed consequence of obedience. To love your enemy means to try and understand them and behave toward them as you would like them to do to you. David was a type of this kind of searching love when he returned to Jerusalem. All right, so you've got tradition in Jesus time. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Learn about the best Christian goals and how to accomplish them with pray.com.
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