Love your enemy
Loving your enemies isn’t just a New Testament idea—it’s been God’s way from the beginning.
Several Old Testament passages teach love, kindness, and blessing toward enemies, aligning with Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. Here are key examples:
1. Exodus 23:4-5 – Help Your Enemy’s Animal
"If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it."
Principle: Even when someone is your enemy, you are still responsible to do good to them. This shows that love is not just a New Testament concept but deeply rooted in God's law.
2. Proverbs 25:21-22 – Feed Your Enemy
"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you."
Principle: Kindness toward an enemy is not about passive aggression or judgment, but about blessing them. The "coals of fire" likely refer to an act of restoring warmth and sustenance, rather than punishment.
3. Leviticus 19:18 – Love Your Neighbor
"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."
Principle: Though often quoted in reference to fellow Israelites, Jesus expands this command to include enemies (Luke 10:25-37, the Good Samaritan). The heart of the law is love, not vengeance.
4. 2 Kings 6:21-23 – Elisha Feeds the Enemy
"When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, ‘Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?’ But he answered, ‘You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.’ So he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel."
Principle: Elisha teaches the king that mercy disarms hostility. Instead of executing prisoners, they are fed and released in peace. This reflects the heart of God in blessing enemies.
5. Job 31:29-30 – Do Not Rejoice Over an Enemy’s Misfortune
"If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted myself up when evil found him (indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for a curse on his soul)…"
Principle: Job recognizes that it is sinful to take pleasure in an enemy’s downfall. The heart of God calls for compassion, not revenge.
6. Lamentations 3:25-30 – Give Your Cheek to the One Who Strikes You
"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD… Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach."
Principle: This passage anticipates Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:39 about turning the other cheek. Patient endurance and trust in God replace vengeance.
Conclusion: The Old Testament Foundations of Love for Enemies
Far from being a new idea in the New Testament, the command to love and bless enemies has deep roots in the Old Testament. Jesus did not overturn the Law but revealed its true intention—not just external righteousness but a heart that reflects God’s own mercy and love.
These passages challenge the natural human tendency toward retaliation and call believers to seek God's heart in their interactions with all people—including enemies.----
Some of these ideas cause controversy in Evangelical circles, particularly regarding the interpretation of Proverbs 25:21-22, the concept of turning the other cheek in Lamentations, and the idea that loving enemies is deeply rooted in the Old Testament rather than being a uniquely New Testament teaching.
Controversial Points & Responses from Our Hermeneutic:
1. "Heaping coals of fire" as a blessing rather than punishment (Proverbs 25:21-22)
Evangelical Controversy: Many interpret "heaping coals of fire" as an act that shames or punishes an enemy, leading them to repentance out of discomfort. Some see it as a form of "kind vengeance."
Our Response:
The Hebrew perspective reveals that fire often represents purification and restoration, not destruction (Isaiah 6:6-7). In ancient cultures, coals were a gift, a means to reignite warmth and sustain life. The passage fits with God's consistent heart to bless, not curse, even enemies. The New Testament confirms this understanding in Romans 12:20-21, where Paul uses the verse to support overcoming evil with good.
2. "Turning the other cheek" in Lamentations 3:30
Evangelical Controversy: Many assume Jesus’ command to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39) was a radical departure from the Old Testament, where justice was seen as retributive (eye for eye, tooth for tooth).
Our Response:
Lamentations 3:30 shows that enduring suffering without retaliation was already a principle in the Old Testament. Jesus did not abolish the Law but revealed its deeper meaning. He calls for active righteousness—not mere legal compliance but a transformed heart. The true justice of God is not found in personal revenge but in trusting Him to judge rightly (Deuteronomy 32:35).
3. The Old Testament as the foundation for loving enemies
Evangelical Controversy: Some hold that Jesus introduced enemy love as a new concept, distinct from the Old Testament Law. The assumption is that the Old Testament is primarily about justice, while the New Testament is about grace.
Our Response:
The Old Testament repeatedly teaches kindness toward enemies (Exodus 23:4-5, 2 Kings 6:21-23, Job 31:29-30). Jesus did not contradict the Law but fulfilled it, revealing its intended heart (Matthew 5:17). God has always desired mercy over sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). The Gospel does not change God’s character—it reveals what was always true.
Conclusion:
Evangelicals sometimes struggle with the idea that the Old Testament teaches love for enemies because they view the Testaments as fundamentally different in tone—law vs. grace. But when we interpret Scripture through the lens of Christ (using the New Testament to illuminate the Old), we see that love, mercy, and grace have always been God's way. The true heart of the Law was never about vengeance but about restoring people to God's love.
