Remember, we were all once enemies of Jehovah-Consequences of sin-14

How are we to judge others? How are we to treat enemies? Who are our enemies? Throughout Jeremiah and Psalms, we find many verses calling out to Jehovah to pour His wrath out on their enemies. Yet, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them. What are we to do?

Matthew 5:38  "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' 5:39  "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 

5:40  "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 

5:41  "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 

5:42  "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. 

This is from His Sermon on the Mount teaching, which is the one of the most significant of all of His teachings and the longest. Here we read that we are to be forgiving, kind, and generous to wicked, evil people. This is doing good to those who may have done evil to you. At the least, they have never done anything good to you.

5:43  "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 

5:44  "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 5:45  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 

We are to love our enemies? Does this apply to those Jeremiah and David wanted Jehovah to destroy? Certainly we all know that everyone is made in the image of Jehovah. But, most are not living in a manner that brings glory to Him nor represents this image to the world. Doesn’t Jehovah hate those who disobey Him, worship idols instead of Him, teach lies about Him, and trample on His Son and the Cross He died upon for our sins?

Hebrews 10:26  For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 0:27  but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 

10:28  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 

0:29  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 

10:30  For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." 

10:31  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

This seems to be in sharp contrast to the message in the Sermon on the Mount! A severer judgment should strike fear into the hearts of all who are guilty of this crime against the Son of Jehovah. Can Jehovah hate those we are to love?

5:46  "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 5:47  "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 5:48  "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 

Clearly this is not a very simple black and white teaching. Also, there must be a range of actions and people that are in this vast scale of enemies. From the least to the worse needs to be understood. David couldn’t love the idolatrous nations around him that were actively seeking to kill him and destroy the nation. Jeremiah’s enemies sought to kill him as well. Yet, we are told to love our enemies!

This will be a study over a few weeks, as we search the Scriptures to know how we are to live and who are our enemies. Remember, we were all once enemies of Jehovah!

Romans 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

5:9  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 5:10  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

To be continued next Saturday.