Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you!
This sentence pronounced by Yeshuah in Luke 6:27 is often used to give the impression that the "God" of the New Testament, the "God" of the so-called christian of today is apparently completely different from the “God” of the Old Testament, the severe "God" of the past. Indeed most of the christian world of today have built an image of their God who looks like a good grand-father full of compassion, very gentle not blaming anyone.
According to this way of thinking of many christian, the Lord of the Old Testament, Yehoah might be his real name, would ask to kill sinner or to punish them very severely. He would also push his people to fight and kill other nations and so on.
Consequently, it would be difficult to imagine that the "God" of the Old Testament would not teach the Children of Israel to love their enemies, to do good to those who hate them and to bless those who curse them!
But is this the true?
This article invites you to conduct an investigation to discover the truth about it by plunging into the books of the Old Testament. We are going to examine the behaviour of men following Yehoah’s commandments: How these people behaved with their enemies of all kinds
The love of enemies and the texts of the Old Testament.
On the contrary of what Christians would usually be tempted to think, the Old Testament gives many examples of how much Elohim's men loved their enemies, either those who wanted to kill them or those who had them as slaves.
We will review a particularly striking first example of this love of Elohim's men for their enemies.
Joseph and his brothers.
Joseph is the favorite son of his father Jacob because he was Rachel's first-born, the only woman he loved wanted to marry; moreover, Joseph was born when Jacob was already pretty old (Genesis 37: 3):
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. "
This preference of Jacob for Joseph generated the hate of the other eleven brothers of Joseph (Genesis 37: 4):
"But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. "
This jealousy turned into such an hate that they even planned to kill him (Genesis 37: 17-20):
“17 And the man said, “They (i.e. Joseph’s brothers) have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
The intervention of Reuben, his older brother, saved him from death and instead, his other brothers got rid of him by selling him as a young slave to the Ishmaelites whose caravan of goods was going to Egypt. (Genesis 37: 21-28):
“21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. 23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. "
But Joseph did not see his brothers as enemies and he had no hate towards them while the opposite is not true!
For the next fifteen years or so, Joseph was first enslaved by the Egyptian commander Potiphar, then he was put in jail following the false denunciation of the unfaithful wife of Potiphar, and finally thanks to the intervention of Yehoah, Joseph becomes the number two in power in Egypt, just after Pharaoh.
During the seven years of severe famine throughout the Middle East, Joseph was in charge of the sales of the abundant stock of wheat stored by the Egyptian government wisely, sales which were made to neighboring foreign countries. Throughout this period, Joseph lived a bit like an orphan separated from his beloved father.
It is at this time that he will recognize ten of his brothers sent by his father Jacob to buy wheat (Genesis 42: 3-8):
"3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”
And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. "
Joseph decided to try them in order to generate in them a feeling of remorse for the heinous crime they have committed against him. Their repentance being acquired, Joseph must leave them to hide his tears and emotion (Genesis 42: 17-24):
" 17 So he put them all together in prison three days. 18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear Elohim: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. "
After a second journey of his brothers to Egypt, during which Joseph keeps his brothers under the stress of guilt, Joseph can no longer restrain himself, he cannot contain his tears and blew his joy by being recognized at them (Genesis 45: 1-9):
“1Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for Elohim sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And Elohim sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but Elohim; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. "
But despite Joseph's good dealings for his family, his brothers will always live in fear of revenge on his behalf to make them pay for the harm they have done to him. This fear resurfaced after Jacob's death as can be read in Genesis 50: 15-21:
" 15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of Elohim? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but Elohim meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. "
In all this adventure, the essential thing to remember is the love of Joseph for those who wanted to kill him, it is the good that he will return for the harm that his brothers had done to him and it is the blessing Joseph gave them to them who cursed him when he was so young!
The “God” of Joseph is the one of the Old Testament, named Yehoah Elohim and He is the same “God” that Yeshuah has as well as the One of all his disciples. This Yehoah was supporting Joseph in his love for his fellow brothers at that time, He also supported the good treatment that Joseph provided them and the blessings he had given.
Daniel, a slave under the Babylonian and Persian empires.
Daniel is another striking example of love for enemies and for those who enslave you.
Daniel is initially a young Jewish of the high society who was taken captive to Babylon during the first deportation during which Yehoyaqim, king of Judah, was also made prisoner by Nebukadnetsar at the beginning of his reign.
Daniel was at the mercy of the King Nebukadnetsar throughout all his reign. The king of Babylon exercised an absolute right of life and death over all his subjects and often with great cruelty.
At the risk of his life, Daniel kept the ordinances of His Lord, Yehoah especially concerning pure food as it is mentioned in Daniel 1: 5-16,
“5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now Elohim had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. "
This story shows how much Daniel had faith in his Creator because he knew in advance that his respect for the law could only contribute to his good! And remember that faith is " is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1)
The dream of the statue
The extreme cruelty of Nebukadnetsar is evident from the beginning of his reign when he makes a particularly frightening dream that he cannot remember. He requires his magicians, astrologers and wizards to not only remind him his dream but also to reveal its explanation. Faced with their inability to fulfill his request, Nebukadnetsar lets his anger burst out and decides by revenge to have all the sages of Babylon, whether or not linked to his request, executed. Daniel was on the list of people to be put to death.
Daniel succeeds in getting a delay before the execution of the king's sentence because, once again, he has the faith that Elohim can help him by revealing to him what Nebukadnetsar seeks to understand.
In his great humility Daniel calls upon his companions to implore Elohim and ask him for the solution of the mystery. Elohim responds favorably to his request and Daniel, after having expressed his gratitude to his Creator, asks for an interview with the King to let him know the dream and its explanation. Daniel, with the greatest respect, makes it clear to the king that it is not he who has the capacity to give this explanation but that it comes from his Elohim. Indeed, no wise man, he says, is able to fulfill this kind of mission.
This courageous and respectful intervention of Daniel will not only save all the wise men of Babylon but also cause a kind of worship of Elohim by Nebukadnetsar! Moreover, Daniel becomes one of the most important man in Babylon, though still a slave since he cannot return to the Holy Land. You can read this story in Daniel 2 where you will note that in this story, there is no trace of hatred or resentment from Daniel against the king of Babylon.
The big tree, dreams of Nebukadnetsar, explained by Daniel.
This scary dream made by Nebukadnetsar was again an opportunity for Daniel to show his respectful love for the one who is the enemy of his people.
This event is remarkable in that all the narrative associated with this dream was written under inspiration in the Bible by Nebukadnezar himself, who at the same time gave glory to Elohim (Daniel 3: 31-33).
Here again, Nebuchadnezzar is asking first to his magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers to reveal the meaning of this frightening dream. Nebukadnetsar is attributing more importance to his pagan beliefs rather than to Daniel's Elohim, who, however, has demonstrated His full power when revealing to him the dream that we have discussed earlier.
It is only at the very end that Daniel introduces himself to the king. Let us remind you that Nebukadnetsar is very cruel among others to the three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Mechak and Abed-Nego that some time before he did not hesitated to put in an extremely fiery furnace to kill them, simply because they all three refused to worship a golden statue erected by the king.
Nevertheless, Daniel presents himself to the king with the utmost respect and after having heard the story of this dream, particularly disastrous about the future of Nebukadnetsar, he shows him the greatest sympathy in answering him:
" Belteshazzar (i. e. Daniel) answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!! (Daniel 4: 19)
Then, bravely, Daniel explains this dream in its smallest details without hiding anything. At the end of the explanation of this dream which is a warning of Elohim to Nebukadnetsar , this King of kings at that time, Daniel encourages this king with love so that he puts an end to his misconduct as can be read in Daniel 4, verse 27:
" Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. "
Unfortunately, as you can read in the following part of the chapter, this terrible punishment was imposed on Nebukadnetsar because he could not be humble and recognize that his power came from Elohim!
Daniel in the lions' den.
Daniel was dealing with everyone in the same manner showing no preference to anyone. The best proof to illustrate this is certainly his attitude towards Darius the Mede, the king representative of the new Persian empire that ended the kingdom of Babylon.
Darius was very fond of Daniel, whom he established with two other people at the head of his huge empire. Darius even thought of putting him at the head of the whole empire. Just as it was the case for Joseph. But the superiority of Daniel causes an immense jealousy among his colleagues and his subordinates, the satraps. Here too this jealousy will push them to the plot to kill Daniel in extremely cruel conditions by the execution in the lion's den. Darius the Mede will also be trapped in this conspiracy built on a false basis because without knowing it, he will make establish a law that will require him to execute Daniel, his favorite and faithful servant. All this adventure is described in chapter 6 of the book of Daniel.
Great will be the affliction of the king when he will be forced to put Daniel in the lion's den, because this king is respectful of the laws of his empire, laws that he himself enacts. Darius admires Daniel's faith and hopes that Elohim will save him. Read more about this beautiful story in Daniel 7, from verse 16:
" 16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your Elohim, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no [f]musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living Elohim, has your Elohim, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My Elohim sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his Elohim.
24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
25 Then King Darius wrote:
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the Elohim of Daniel. For He is the living Elohim, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. "
As a conclusion, we see how Daniel, here too, shows the greatest esteem and love for this king who was still his executioner. His exemplary attitude even leads Darius the Mede to have Elohim worshiped throughout his empire and to proclaim the gospel.
If you want another example of the wonderful practice of the love of enemies, and if you like to read in your bible, please go and read the complete story of David before he started to reign as a king. Look in particular how he was faithful servant of his king Shaul despite the hate Shaul had against him and despite the numerous times Shaul tried to kill him or to have him killed. Each time, David did not show any hate and never kill him while he could have done so, only because David loved his Elohim and the connnandment asking him to love his enemy!
Let’s begin to love our enemies
To show our Lord that we love him above all!