"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 392 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. 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. It proved difficult for the Syrian king to fight when his enemy didnt show up. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. What happens next is crucial, for Elisha (as if in the persona of Jesus)[2] responded as follows: You shall not strike them down. Your submission has been received! 6:35). Elsewhere in the Old Testament, we read words such as: If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, (Proverbs 25:21). Do not even the Gentiles do the same?, Luke 6:27-29But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,[28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Luke 6:35-36. Pray for those who persecute you! In addition to the obvious point that the OT nowhere states that one ought to hate their enemy, and the fact that Jesus describes His teachings as law-fulfilling (Matt 5:17), there are serious problems with this view. But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. By providing my email I agree to allow Pray.com to use my email for marketing purposes, and I agree to the. Publication date: Apr 27, 2023. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. What Does the Bible Say About Love? You shall not walk in their statutes. Jesus is raising the bar now that hes come to the earth and hes got a set of followers. 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. Remember that Jesus prefaces this whole section of His sermon by saying: For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 5:20). I But thats all I could find in the Old Testament. And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. Matthew 5:35: Psalm 48:2 . He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 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. D Its one thing to have laws and teachings about loving enemies. what does love your enemies look like in the old testament? [Deut. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at [emailprotected], by Matt Slick | Apr 1, 2023 | Questions, The Occult. And God saw that the light was good. Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.. It may have been assumed by some Hebrews that to love the neighbor (a fellow member of one's community . 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. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. The result was that they no longer raised Israel: So where do we find love of enemy in the Old Testament? In other words, Gods character is loving and merciful. Elisha prayed, and miraculously, the enemy army was struck with blindness until Elisha led them bound into the middle of the capital city Samaria, where they stood before Jehoram. This remains a challenge for our generation, as well. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 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. Notice that Jesus actual words, you have heard it said, are replaced with the formula behold it is written. Now, whenever Jesus used the words It is written, in Matthew, He is always referring to the words of Scripture. Such accounts certainly are not to be used in any modern context in such a way. views, likes, loves, comments, shares, Facebook Watch Videos from David Ajiboye Ministries International: SUNDAY WELFARE AND THANKSGIVNG. That's Proverbs 25:21-22. God never commanded anyone to hate their enemies. P Milton has also served as chancellor and president of seminaries and is the author of more than thirty books. As the late Dr. John Stott wrote, In each antithesis (You have heard that it was said but I say to you ) he rejected the easy-going tradition of the scribes, reaffirmed the authority of Old Testament Scripture, and drew out the full and exacting implications of Gods moral law.2So, we can say that the presenting issues we observe in the text have to do with a misunderstanding of loving ones enemies. 5:8). . Too bad Jason can't trouble himself to have a ", "Hi Dave, I read your article with great interest. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. H For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Learn to think of them with compassion and not contempt. And Elisha wasnt playing by the rules. 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. David was a type of this kind of searching love when he returned to Jerusalem. Hes raising the standard, so under the Law of Moses, God didnt want Israel to love their enemies? Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Indeed, the fact that it forbids vengeance seems to indicate that you are to love your neighbor even if they are your enemy. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Loving Your Enemies, Is That a New or an Old Testament Concept? Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. There are different examples in the bible of people showing love even to their enemies. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. We can learn how to apply Jesus command in our own lives by following the fullness of the teaching. When you love your enemies, you eliminate hatred from your heart and you show that Jesus is the Lord of your life. What did Jesus mean when He instructed us to love our enemies? The simple answer is that Jesus doesnt say that at all. Say nice things to them, have an open discussion about whats happened or your feelings give them a hug, do something nice for them, smile, make a joke. C Therefore, we are taught by Jesus in the same passages to pray for them. They wanted more teaching, more application for living, more understanding, and, thus, more hope. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Psalm 136:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. To love your enemy means to try and understand them and behave toward them as you would like them to do to you. . Examples of Loving your Enemies in the Bible; "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.". In the Book of Mormon version, however, Jesus words are reported as: And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, (3 Nephi 12:43-44). I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Luke 6:28. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples. Oops! V It does not envy, it does not boast, it isn't proud. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and . Always remember that life in the community of man is not divided into the 'Hatfields and McCoys.' And of course, Jesus also condemns wickedness and is appointed by the Father to judge the world at the end of the age. This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. It is the case, though, that God's People have always sought to circumvent this teaching of Scripture down through the centuries. Jesus said the greatest commands were to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself ( Matt. Loving your enemies, is that a New or an Old Testament concept? Now, lets keep reading. These, like Matthew, and Zacchaeus, were tax collectors. Solution: God never commanded His people at any time to hate their enemies (see comments on Mal.
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