Did the OT teach you to love your enemies?

[tonychanyt]

Psalm 139:

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

Did the above teach hating your enemies?

No, it only showed the sentiment of the psalmist. I would not overgeneralize his feelings into a doctrine.

On the other hand, Leviticus 19:

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

In the NT, Jesus said in Mat 5:

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

Apparently, some teachers did overgeneralize and said to hate your enemy.

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies.

Did the OT teach people to love your enemies?

The OT had commandments to show acts of love toward your enemy.

Exodus 23:

4 If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Prov 24:

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.

God wanted you to be nice when your enemy stumbles.

Prov 25:

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

Be nice to your enemy. Leave vengeance to the Lord.

Did the OT teach you to love your enemies?

No, not explicitly loving your enemies in general. It did teach people to be nice to their enemies in some instances. While the Old Testament didn't explicitly command loving one's enemies like Jesus does, it did contain teachings that hint at kindness and consideration towards adversaries. The concept was not as fully developed or central as in the New Testament, but elements of it were present. In the NT, Jesus taught us unequivocally to love our enemies.

 

[Spiritual Jew]

Psalm 139:


Did the above teach hating your enemies?

No, it only showed the sentiment of the psalmist. I would not overgeneralize his feelings into a doctrine.

On the other hand, Leviticus 19:


In the NT, Jesus said in Mat 5:


Apparently, some teachers did overgeneralize and said to hate your enemy.


Did the OT teach people to love your enemies?

The OT had commandments to show acts of love toward your enemy.

Exodus 23:


Prov 24:


God wanted you to be nice when your enemy stumbles.

Prov 25:


Be nice to your enemy. Leave vengeance to the Lord.

Did the OT teach you to love your enemies?

No, not explicitly loving your enemies in general. It did teach people to be nice to their enemies in some instances. While the Old Testament didn't explicitly command loving one's enemies like Jesus does, it did contain teachings that hint at kindness and consideration towards adversaries. The concept was not as fully developed or central as in the New Testament, but elements of it were present. In the NT, Jesus taught us unequivocally to love our enemies.

The OT did teach to love your enemies, but many people didn't discern that because of assumptions that they made.

Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Jesus said they heard that they should love their neighbor and hate their enemy, but OT scripture does not actually say that. They heard wrong. The verse above is including your enemies among your neighbors that you should love because it specifically talks about not taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against your enemies. So, loving your enemies is implied there. But, people missed that and ended up thinking it said to love your neighbor and hate your enemies. It says no such thing, of course. What it really says is to love your neighbors as yourself, including your enemies.

Jesus had to tell them what the OT was actually teaching. This includes what it really meant when it said not to murder. Jesus clarified that it not only means to not literally murder people, but also not to hate them (while wishing they were dead).

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Jesus clarified that committing adultery was more than just literally committing adultery physically, but included lusting after another person and wishing you could literally commit adultery with them.

Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

The command to not commit adultery always included not lusting after others, but it's not something that people realized until Jesus clarified the whole meaning of that command just like He did with the command to not murder and the command to love your neighbor as yourself.