Today's Scripture Reading (July 17, 2022): Psalm 70
In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus instructs his followers to act differently from how the world worked. This instruction occurs in the "You have heard it said … But I tell you" section of the sermon. And it is in this section
that Jesus tells his followers;
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be
children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are
not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you
greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even
pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).
But the question that arises is one
of practice; How do I love those who oppose me? Does loving people who oppose
you mean giving into their plans and going along with their designs? Does it
mean we can't be critical of how they think things should be going? Or is there
a way to love and fight against what they are trying to achieve? It is often a
hard tightrope to walk. And often, I seem to fall into the trap of not reacting
appropriately to those who oppose me. And yet, Jesus is clear; we are to love
those who oppose us and pray for those who persecute us.
David had many who opposed him. And
often, his prayers were centered around David's reaction to those who
considered him their enemy. Here, someone is seeking to take his life. But David's
response, his prayer to God about those who opposed him, was not that he hoped that
what they wanted to do to him would happen to them. He didn't pray that his
enemies would die. He desired that they would fall into shame and confusion, that
their efforts would be thwarted, and they would turn from their plans in
disgrace. American theologian James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) commented on
this prayer of David.
"The kindest thing we can pray
for people who do wrong is that their plans will fail, for it may be that in
their frustration they will see the folly and true end of evil and be reached
for God" (James Montgomery Boice)
It was a prayer of which
Jesus would have been proud. A prayer centered on wanting the best for each other, even amid disagreements.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Psalm 86
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