How would you reconcile what David said here about hating his enemy, with Jesus command to love your enemy?
It seems to me that there is a balance that is sought by having passages that pull in opposite directions. For example, we also have the passage where Jesus tells us to hate our mother, father, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even our own life. This passage is understood, not by focusing upon it alone, but by considering it in light of other passages that teach us to love and lay down our lives for one another. In the same vein, we do not understand the passages about loving our neighbor by focusing upon them alone. Rather, they too need to be considered in light of passages that offer a somewhat contrasting perspective. Only through such a process can a balanced and correct view be achieved.
David understood something about hating God's enemies. I note right off that this might be very different than the concept of hating our own enemies. I have a lot to learn about this kind of hatred toward the people that offend God. The world is constantly pushing us to love and accept everyone. That is the message of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. I believe that we need to consider Psalm 139:22 and accept it in conjunction with Christ's words in Matthew 5:44.
There are New Testament examples where the "love everyone equally" concept appears to be set aside. Even Jesus himself did this. Consider:
Matthew 15:12-14
(12) Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
(13) But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
(14) Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Clearly, this is a different kind of "love" than what most people think of when they declare that we should love everyone equally. Suppose someone like President Bush said the above, but instead of Pharisees, he spoke of Homosexuals. Can you imagine the outcry? He would be called on the carpet for bigotry of the worst kind. They would say it was a message of hatred. How could he call homosexuals blind leaders who will fall into the ditch? How could he say that the heavenly Father had not planted them? How could he say that they would be rooted up?
Consider the following example where Paul calls Elymas a child of the devil, full of deceit and fraud, the enemy of all righteousness.
Acts 13:8-10
(8) But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
(9) Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
(10) And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Some may argue effectively that these were not very kind words, and not the kind of attitude we expect if we only considered those passages alone that talk about loving our neighbor.
Besides all this, there is the concept of giving vengeance to the Lord, so that he will repay. Why not just say to forget about vengeance altogether? Why expect the Lord to repay for the evil done? Even in Revelation, we see martyed saints crying out for vengeance to be done by the Lord on their behalf.
Revelation 6:9-10
(9) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
(10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
This whole topic is big and I don't pretend to understand all the nuances. This is one of those topics where the more you know the more you realize how little you know. :-)
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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