Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 1 app for daily prayer and faith-based media content. Pray.com provides people from all walks of life inspiration through Daily Prayers, Bible in a Year Programs, and Bedtime Bible Stories. 6506007), WTC is a Registered Charity (No. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Well that's the Old Testament. Jesus says: 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. Like the man in Luke 10, religious people have compartmentalized who gets God's love through us. 5:43; 19:19; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; [Rom. 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? The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Typically, theyd expect hatred in response to their hatred, and when you respond to an enemy with kindness, it throws them off their rhythm., The adage, hurt people, hurt people, is not far off. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our enemies, as well as the blessed consequence of obedience. It does not dishonor others, it isn't self-seeking, it isn't easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.". And he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? 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. Such accounts certainly are not to be used in any modern context in such a way. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.. You see example after example of God showing underserved mercy and grace and long-suffering. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. K To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. God loves your enemies. The Lord Jesus says that when we love our enemies, we prove that we are His children. This is the proof right here. Thank you! Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven,, love your neighbor and hate your enemy,, If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at. You bet! Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. The assumption is that Jesus contrasts the ethics of the Old Testament with His ethics. 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. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Moreover, those who persecute us today may, in Gods grace, become those who protect us tomorrow. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [1] As with other Jewish teachers of his day, Jesus drew fresh teachings from the deep well of Scripture. Is Ephraim my dear son? Verse Concepts. That makes it fundamental to our very existence., But, as we all know, there's a huge difference between loving your enemies and loving your friends. Dr. Lukes Sermon on the Plains, is shorter than the Sermon on the Mount. 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. So why does Jesus say that it says to hate your enemies? 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. What does it mean to pray for your enemies? To follow Jesus, you must love your enemies. 18(A)You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, (B)but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Oba 1:12). But Jesus, as he so often does, turns . But along came the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 6). In this article, we'd like to share six prayers for guidance. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. All rights reserved. Psalm 136:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. I dont know what their conclusion was. That youre only obligated to love the people who love you, but you have no obligation to ever show mercy and grace to undeserving people? Create a free PRAY account and we'll send you our Weekly Wisdom Devotional emails each Tuesday. The question were asking today is about a very familiar commandment, love your enemies. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Theres a little revelation there. Elisha the prophet and Jesus both taught the importance of loving your enemies. Oops! The Old Testament. It's stressful when someone you love is undergoing surgery. It's not in all caps because it's not a quote. I realize this doctrine poses a significant . In both Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27, Jesus calls for believers to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. O 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). 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. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Matthew 5:43-47 (RSV)You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.[44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,[45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 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. Read the Old Testament. Show your enemies the genuine respect that every human being deserves. (Matt 5:43). And one could support it from the Old Testament ( Lev. Its one thing to have laws and teachings about loving enemies. Has anyone in your life constantly annoyed you or upset you in some way? Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? F Then Jehoram even asks Elisha twice, Shall I strike them down? Jesus demonstrated love for his enemies by forgiving those who mistreated him. 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. According to David E. Holwerd in The Lectionary Commentary, Lukes sermon is much shorter (30 verses to Matthews 107), and it contains only four beatitudes compared to Matthews eight.Yet, both of these divine sermons have the same goal. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. We can learn how to apply Jesus' command in our own lives by following the fullness of the teaching. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him, (Exodus 23:4-5). Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.". No. You could also have similar jobs, common friends or family members, or similar personality traits., One surefire way to find common ground is by acknowledging your differences. When you need guidance, turn to God. This remains a challenge for our generation, as well. Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? There are different examples in the bible of people showing love even to their enemies. Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life and grow your faith journey. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? But Jesus doesnt stop there. The fault here, however, is not with Jesus or the Old Testament. J God doesnt change. 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. 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. Something went wrong while submitting the form. There is no transformation in such scenarios. If thine enemy be hungry, give . Or is it exclusively a New Testament innovation? But did Israel really live this out this ethos? He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 20. 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. When people love you, you might think you are exactly the way you are supposed to be. Are you sure youre right about that? Jesus teachings were in deep continuity with the Old Testament. Im not implying that God is telling anyone to kill anybody today. 24:12; Rom. Here are some more goodies from the Old Testament: Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Proverbs 24:17. What Did Jesus Really Mean by 'Love Your Enemies'? And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. If we look upon those who oppose, hurt, or persecute us as irredeemable, unchangeable Creatures of the Black Lagoon that are undeserving of our love and our forgiveness, then we must quickly run to the cross!
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