Do You Hate Your Enemies?

In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here is this week’s question:Dear Dave and T. A.:Please explain Psalm 139, Verses 21 and 22, in view of Luke’s 6:35, that tells us that we are to love our enemies.

Tom:

Dave, let me quote Psalm 139: 21, 22:“Do not I hate them, O Lord that hate thee?And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?I hate them with perfect hatred:I count them mine enemies.”And of course Luke:6:35But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
See All... says: “Love ye your enemies.”So, earlier we were talking about interpretation of the Bible, and next week, the Lord willing, we are going to talk about contextual hermeneutics, basically.So, do we have a contradiction here, in this interpretation, do we need the context of the time.Is this New Testament, Old Testament, what do you think?

Dave:

Jesus, obviously, must be talking, not just to the people who are hearing him at that moment, he must be speaking to us as well; otherwise, why would it be put in writing if it was only for those who are hearing him at that moment?This is the Word of God, and it is for all people at all times in history.It’s not a Book that only applies in a certain context and a certain setting at a certain time in history, or to certain ethnic group of people.That’s just simple, common sense, as well as what the Bible says.Jesus says, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.Now, you don’t change the gospel—Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven.So now, what are we going to do about this?“Do not I hate them, O Lord that hate thee?”“And am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee?”Well, we can handle grieve.Hate?Well, God loves the sinner, but he hates their sin.I don’t know how else you would describe it, because the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.Now, this person deserves to go to hell.Sounds like that’s getting pretty close to where you hate that person?No, but I am concerned that they are blaspheming God, and they are leading others astray.For example, in Deuteronomy 13, I think it is, it says when a prophet comes and he prophesies something, and it even comes to pass, but he leads you astray after other gods,you are to take him and stone him.So, the fact that the prophecy came true doesn’t mean that it necessarily is of God.So, in this case, hatred? Well, I think we could put that word there, I mean, the Bible does.

Tom:

Dave, this is a good example of something that the EmergingChurch leaders would jump on it.They say, See, this is a paradox, we can’t really understand it, there’s a tension between the two so, you know, we’re never really going to understand this.

Dave:

Yeah.Tom, let’s just take a look at it here.“Do not I hate them, O Lord that hate thee?”It’s not I hate those who hate me.No, that’s wrong.I’m to love my enemies, but these are the enemies of the Lord, and they hate God, and they are his enemies, and they are leading people astray.Therefore, can I say dislike them?I really despise them; I really hate them because of what they are doing, what they are doing to my Lord, and what they are doing to lead others astray.It’s not selfish hatred—oh, he doesn’t like me, well, I don’t like him either, you know.No, in that situation we respond in love and forgiveness.But Tom, it’s like non-violence, very quickly, I’m not going astray now.The Bible says turn the other cheek, doing no violence to anyone.Here is an attack—let’s say I’m sitting in the back of a church, and some terrorists come in with machine guns, or whatever.I happen to be the fastest gun in the West.Should I just let them do it, or should I get them?In my case, if they are going to kill me, maybe I wouldn’t try to retaliate that way for my sake, but if I’m protecting my family or someone else, then I must act in that way.So, it is for the sake of the Lord, my love for Him, because these people hate Him, and they are doing despite to Him, and they are leading people astray.Therefore, I have a reason to hate them with a perfect hatred, not for my sake, but for the Lord’s sake.

Tom:

Also, Dave, in terms of loving your enemies, no matter whom it is, we need to deal with them in a way that’s pleasing to God, in a way that His Word says we are to go about it.In other words, you treat people the way you want to be treated, but from the golden rule on down.So, whether it’s an enemy, somebody who is against us for whatever reason, we’re accountable before God as to how we treat them, I think.

Dave:

Absolutely!Well, it couldn’t be a perfect hatred if it was for my own selfish reasons; it’s for the sake of the Lord.