You have heard it said 'hate your enemy' but I tell you Love your enemy (Leviticus, believe)

[legoman]

Matt 5:43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

This is an interesting and telling statement. Of course we are learning about Jesus greatest command here: Love God, love your neighbor, and yes, even love your enemy.

But why does it say "you have heard that it was said... hate your enemy"? What is this referring to? I believe this is referring to the old testament, and the old testament ideas of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. Jesus is saying these ideas are wrong. In effect, is Jesus invalidating some of the teachings from the OT? Or perhaps the OT people were incorrect in their thinking here?

We have King David (or whoever the author was) in Psalms telling us:
Psam 139:21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?

Is Jesus saying that David had it wrong? In effect David did not have the spirit of Christ yet?

When we look at the OT passages are we looking at them like King David did, or through the spirit and understanding of Christ?

[RevSmilez]

Nowhere in the OT does it offer a blanket command to hate all enemies. Just the opposite in fact. See Exodus 23:4-5, Proverbs 24:17, and Proverbs 25-21. See also the repeated commands to do good for the stranger, alien, or foreigner. Jesus isn't arguing against the OT. He's arguing from it, against the Pharisees who twisted it into an excuse to hate everyone who wasn't a Jew.

David wasn't saying I hate everyone who is my enemy. He was praying to God, saying I hate those who hate you. When it came to his personal enemies, like King Saul, who repeatedly tried to kill him, he forgave again and again, refusing to take revenge. I wouldn't encourage people to use David's prayer as a model to be copied, but praying an angry prayer is surely a step up from running around killing people. Hypothetically, if Jesus were to meet David, I think he'd congratulate him on his forgiving actions and encourage him to work on a more forgiving heart.

[little elmer]

Originally Posted by RevSmilez

Nowhere in the OT does it offer a blanket command to hate all enemies.

You're arguing with Jesus - Mat 5:43 was Him talking.

[Mikelee81]

The Bible is the truth. Just put your faith in it and you can't go wrong. If someone else is saying something that is not in the bible, they are speaking of man and not God. God hates evil, he does not hate man. He gave us his son so we could seek salvation. He who hates you and does evil things will suffer his wrath. People talk a lot about Gods love, forgiveness, and mercy. What they leave out is God's WRATH! Our creator tells us to lower our self-pride and put a healthy dose of fear in our hearts of him. If we lived like this daily than we'd follow his commandments. This is what is expected of us. God's ultimate justice is our judgement day. I'm in the belief, however, that we are rapidly approaching the second coming of Christ. In this he re-creates the heavens and the Earth. So we will see his wrath coming upon this earth shortly. What we need to do as Christians is told to us in the Bible.

[sschulz]

Originally Posted by RevSmilez

Nowhere in the OT does it offer a blanket command to hate all enemies. Just the opposite in fact. See Exodus 23:4-5, Proverbs 24:17, and Proverbs 25-21. See also the repeated commands to do good for the stranger, alien, or foreigner. Jesus isn't arguing against the OT. He's arguing from it, against the Pharisees who twisted it into an excuse to hate everyone who wasn't a Jew.

David wasn't saying I hate everyone who is my enemy. He was praying to God, saying I hate those who hate you. When it came to his personal enemies, like King Saul, who repeatedly tried to kill him, he forgave again and again, refusing to take revenge. I wouldn't encourage people to use David's prayer as a model to be copied, but praying an angry prayer is surely a step up from running around killing people. Hypothetically, if Jesus were to meet David, I think he'd congratulate him on his forgiving actions and encourage him to work on a more forgiving heart.

I believe King David on his death bed told his son Solomon to kill his ememies, and " Make it bloody. King David was not converted. He did forgive Saul over and over because Saul was his king ordained by God. David did not forgive the people he hated.

[pcamps]

Originally Posted by legoman

Matt 5:43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

This is an interesting and telling statement. Of course we are learning about Jesus greatest command here: Love God, love your neighbor, and yes, even love your enemy.

But why does it say "you have heard that it was said... hate your enemy"? What is this referring to? I believe this is referring to the old testament, and the old testament ideas of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. Jesus is saying these ideas are wrong. In effect, is Jesus invalidating some of the teachings from the OT? Or perhaps the OT people were incorrect in their thinking here?

We have King David (or whoever the author was) in Psalms telling us:
Psam 139:21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?

Is Jesus saying that David had it wrong? In effect David did not have the spirit of Christ yet?

When we look at the OT passages are we looking at them like King David did, or through the spirit and understanding of Christ?

I lean towards the OT folk being incorrect in their thinking, and this is where God found fault. It was also their thinking that Jesus challenged the Pharisees about on the Sermon on the mount.Isaiah wrote that our thoughts were not God's thoughts, in otherwords our thinking was incorrect


But God found fault with the people and said[b]:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”[c] 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. Hebrews

[scupper]

Remember not everything people did in the old testiment was perscriptive of what we should do, there are a lot of things the people did that are descriptive and would not be how we should handle a situation. The only time things work out well for people in the Bible or for us is when they were and we are walking with the Lord. Also remember the Jewish people also had the Oral Law which is not in scripture so it is possible that there was an oral teaching that taught that people should hate their enemies. There are many oral laws that are not part of scripture that are only man made. Jesus Healed on the Sabbath and the religious leaders were upset, I do not see any law in the old testament that would say that doing good and healing someone was wrong but the religious leaders seemed to think it was.

[Priscilla Martin]

Originally Posted by legoman

Matt 5:43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ,

But why does it say "you have heard that it was said... hate your enemy"? What is this referring to?

Barnes Note on The Bible:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy - The command to love our neighbor was a law of God, Leviticus 19:18. That we must therefore hate our enemy was an inference drawn from it by the Jews.
Clarke's Commentary on The Bible:
Thou shalt love thy friend, and hate thine enemy. This was certainly the meaning which the Jews put on it: for neighbor, with them, implied those of the Jewish race, and all others were, considered by them as natural enemies.

In effect, is Jesus invalidating some of the teachings from the OT?

No, because 'hate your enemies' was inferred.

Or perhaps the OT people were incorrect in their thinking here?

Must have been since it is isn't in the OT.

We have King David (or whoever the author was) in Psalms telling us:
Psam 139:21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?
Is Jesus saying that David had it wrong? In effect David did not have the spirit of Christ yet?

The command 'Love your enemies' Mt 5:44 had not been given yet.

When we look at the OT passages are we looking at them like King David did, or through the spirit and understanding of Christ?

When you say 'we' are you referring to everyone on the planet?

[boanerges]

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.


Matthew 4:7
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 4:10
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Matthew 21:13
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Matthew 26:31
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Mark 7:6
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mark 9:12
And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Mark 9:13
But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

Mark 14:27
And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

Luke 2:23
(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord

Then we have this in the opening of this topic:

Matt 5:43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,



These scriptures say "it is written", Jesus Himself says "it is written", notice however when He spoke of the topic of this thread He said "it is said", big difference between "it is written" and "it is said", as someone i once read wrote- pay attention to all the words.

Blessings ya'll

[mszlady]

Originally Posted by boanerges

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.


Matthew 4:7
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 4:10
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Matthew 21:13
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Matthew 26:31
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Mark 7:6
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mark 9:12
And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Mark 9:13
But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

Mark 14:27
And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

Luke 2:23
(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord

Then we have this in the opening of this topic:

Matt 5:43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,



These scriptures say "it is written", Jesus Himself says "it is written", notice however when He spoke of the topic of this thread He said "it is said", big difference between "it is written" and "it is said", as someone i once read wrote- pay attention to all the words.

Blessings ya'll

Good point