Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath:
But grievous words stir up anger.
How difficult this is. How many times do we find ourselves having to rub shoulders with people who rub us the wrong way; of whom we feel unjustly abused or tormented by;
Our dear Rabbi, Lord and King Yeshua echoed this proverb with the following words:
A soft answer turneth away wrath:
But grievous words stir up anger.
How difficult this is. How many times do we find ourselves having to rub shoulders with people who rub us the wrong way; of whom we feel unjustly abused or tormented by;
Our dear Rabbi, Lord and King Yeshua echoed this proverb with the following words:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
He equated this attitude with perfection by terminating this sermon with:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Critics of Scriptures have often taken these words to the extreme portraying someone passively allowing an enemy to hurt him or his family. This was not the vision. We need to remember that any truth taken to an extreme becomes error. What is eluded in these Words spoken by our Master is more concerning the position of our heart towards that enemy. A careful Scriptural study on the subject reveals that the Father has nothing against self-defense and the preservation and protection of what He has given us. He has issues though with revenge; with gloating over an enemy’s loss and demise; as well as with the unjust treatment of even the belongings of an enemy. We are allowed to defend and protect land and goods; we are allowed to hate evil; but we are not allowed to give way to hatred of people.
Whereas like the patriarchs we may find ourselves in need to defend land, kin and well, let us never indulge in the practice of revengeful hatred. Let us be perfect and not let our heart slide to such low-levels as practiced by the ungodly. May we instead, always allow the Balm of Gilead to heal our wounds and our hurts. Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose life is an early representation of the life of Messiah, never hated his brothers for what they did to him.
Critics of Scriptures have often taken these words to the extreme portraying someone passively allowing an enemy to hurt him or his family. This was not the vision. We need to remember that any truth taken to an extreme becomes error. What is eluded in these Words spoken by our Master is more concerning the position of our heart towards that enemy. A careful Scriptural study on the subject reveals that the Father has nothing against self-defense and the preservation and protection of what He has given us. He has issues though with revenge; with gloating over an enemy’s loss and demise; as well as with the unjust treatment of even the belongings of an enemy. We are allowed to defend and protect land and goods; we are allowed to hate evil; but we are not allowed to give way to hatred of people.
Whereas like the patriarchs we may find ourselves in need to defend land, kin and well, let us never indulge in the practice of revengeful hatred. Let us be perfect and not let our heart slide to such low-levels as practiced by the ungodly. May we instead, always allow the Balm of Gilead to heal our wounds and our hurts. Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose life is an early representation of the life of Messiah, never hated his brothers for what they did to him.
He wanted them to learn, but he never hated them.
The caravan he was sold to traded Balm of Gilead.
No comments:
Post a Comment