How To Relate to Enemies?
Reflection:
Do I not destroy my
enemies when I make them my friends?” ― Abraham Lincoln
This was one of the many
famous quotes of Abraham Lincoln, one of our country’s greatest
presidents. There are many quotes about
enemies and the most famous and profound one comes from Jesus who said, “Love
your enemies. And do good to those who hate you.” Luke 6:27 The bible can sometimes be confusing as in
the Old Testament the Jewish people were told to defeat their enemies and
completely destroy them. Then, in the
New Testament, Jesus tells us and by application his disciples to love their enemies.
This is a difficult
question many scholars have tried to reconcile and answer over the ages. The one thing we can be sure of is that God
did not say, “Become like your enemies”.
This is what happened to Amaziah, as after he defeated the Edomites, he
took their gods and then bowed down to them.
When God sent a prophet to him to ask the question, “Why would you
consult a god that did not have any power to defeat you?” He only told him , “Who
told you to speak to the king!” Quickly
after this, Amaziah was defeated and the kingdom was passed on to his son,
Uzziah.
Who would you consider
your enemy? What would describe your
relationship with them? I think Lincoln’s
quote is more in line with what the bible would teach about how to relate to our
enemies. It reminds me of the saying, “Be
in the world but not of the world.” If
we hope to have influence in the world there will be opposition and people will
oppose us. Jesus warned us that as he
was persecuted so will we.
Although God’s judgment
and mercy can be a confusing thing, the one thing for sure it is God’s to judge
not ours. God’s ways are higher than our
ways, and we never know what God’s plan is when we choose to make an enemy a
friend. Just look at the apostle Paul,
who seized and brought Christians to become martyrs, who after his conversion
became the greatest missionary of all time.
Spend some time praying
for your enemies and discerning how you can make them your friends. Amen.
Psalm 26
Of David.
1 Vindicate me, Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
and have not faltered.
2 Test me, Lord, and try
me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been
mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your
faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with the
deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of
evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in
innocence,
and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your
praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house
where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul
along with sinners,
my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10 in whose hands are
wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 I lead a blameless
life;
deliver me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level
ground;
in the great congregation I will praise the
Lord.
2 Chronicles 25:5-26:15
New International Version
(NIV)
5 Amaziah called the
people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to
commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin.
He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three
hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and
shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a
hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your
Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not
with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight
courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has
the power to help or to overthrow.” 9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what
about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God
replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.” 10 So Amaziah dismissed
the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were
furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage. 11 Amaziah then marshaled
his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten
thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men
alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were
dashed to pieces. 13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had
not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from
Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great
quantities of plunder. 14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites,
he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,
bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15 The anger of the Lord
burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you
consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your
hand?” 16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed
you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped
but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done
this and have not listened to my counsel.” 17 After Amaziah king of Judah
consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the
son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us face each other in battle.” 18 But
Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon
sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in
marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle
underfoot. 19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are
arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own
downfall and that of Judah also?” 20 Amaziah, however, would not listen, for
God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because
they sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and
Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was
routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23 Jehoash king of Israel
captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth
Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of
Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred
cubits long. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in
the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace
treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria. 25 Amaziah son of Joash
king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of
Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from
beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and
Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they
conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men
after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 He was brought back by horse and
was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.
Uzziah King of Judah
26 Then all the people of
Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his
father Amaziah. 2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah
after Amaziah rested with his ancestors. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was
Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the
Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of
Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the
Lord, God gave him success. 6 He went to war against the Philistines and broke
down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod
and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines
and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8 The
Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border
of Egypt, because he had become very powerful. 9 Uzziah built towers in
Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall,
and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many
cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He
had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile
lands, for he loved the soil. 11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go
out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary
and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal
officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was
2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a
powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided
shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire
army. 15 In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the
corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from
the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he
became powerful.
Acts 23:12-24
The Plot to Kill Paul
12 The next morning some
Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink
until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot.
14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a
solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and
the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of
wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him
before he gets here.” 16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot,
he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the
centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to
tell him.” 18 So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, “Paul, the
prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he
has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took the young man by the hand,
drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?” 20 He said: “Some
Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the
pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to
them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have
taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready
now, waiting for your consent to their request.” 22 The commander dismissed the
young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to
me.”
Paul Transferred to
Caesarea
23 Then he called two of
his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred
soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine
tonight. 24 Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor
Felix.”
O God, do not keep
silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! Even now your enemies are
in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads. Psalm 83:1-2
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