EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/20/2026
9:31 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: “The
Commands of Kingdom Love”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
6:27-28
Message of the verses: “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who
mistreat you.”
It took three SD’s to get through
the introduction to MacArthur’s introduction, and now this evening I begin the
first main point he writes on the first two verses of this section.
Now as noted earlier, the Lord
addressed these four simple yet profound commands to His genuine disciples, the
ones who hear and obey His Word, something all true believers should be
doing. These words describe a
supernatural love that is vastly different from the kind of love found in the
world. Vengeance is a virtue to the
unbelievers, who make heroes out of those who take nothing from anyone, and who
lash out at those who wrong them and make they pay. Joseph Stalin, who perhaps is the most brutal
and vindictive dictator of the twentieth century, captured the essence of the
world’s lust for revenge when he said , “To choose one’s victim, to prepare one’s
plan minutely, to slake an implacable vengeance, and then to go to bed—there is
nothing sweeter in the world’ (Death in the Kremlin: Killer of the Masses”
[Time magazine, March 16, 1953; http://www.time. Com/time/magazine/article/o,917,935828-7,00.html;accessed
12 January 2010]). Millions of people
tasted the bitterness of Stalin’s :implacable vengeance,” suffering torture, exile,
and death.
Now attitudes were little different
in the days of Jesus, not even in Israel.
The first century Judaism was narrow, exclusive, intolerant, and hence
largely loveless and condemning. There
was hatred of their enemies, especially Gentiles (and above all their Roman occupiers),
was elevated the status of a spiritual virtue (Matthew 5:43).
(Matthew 5:43)
“43 ¶ "You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”
MacArthur writes
“The medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides recorded the Talmud’s maxim that a Jew
should not rescue a Gentile who fell into the sea. Some Zealot extremists took that contemptuous
disregard for Gentile life one step further by actually murdering Romans. Many Jews thus found Jesus’ command love
your enemies to be incomprehensible, shocking, and unacceptable.
“But such vengeful hatred of one’s
enemies was contrary to the Old Testament law.
It is true that the imprecatory Psalms call for God’s promised judgment
on His foes. But to arrogate that right
to themselves, as some Jews did, contradicted God’s declaration in Deuteronomy
32:35 that vengeance belongs to Him (cf. Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30).”
(cf. Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30)
“19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave
it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,
says the Lord.”
“30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine;
I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
“Instead
of seeking revenge, Proverbs 25:21 commands, ‘If your enemy is hungry, give him
food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink’ (cf. Ex. 23:4-5).”
(cf. Ex. 23:4-5)
“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.”
“Leviticus
19:18 summarizes the Old Testament teaching of how to view one’s enemies: ‘You
shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
The term ‘neighbor’ refers to anyone in need (Luke 10:29-37), not merely
to fellow Jews.”
(Luke 10:29-37)
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to
Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus
replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell
among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half
dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was
going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to
where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to
an inn and took care of him. 35 And the
next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take
care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved
to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And
Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.’”
“Instead of seeking revenge, Christ’s
disciples are to do good to those who hate them. Kalos (good) describes what is
inherently, not superficially, good. It
refers here to doing things that will benefit one’s enemies. When they love like that, believers will ‘overcome
evil with good’ (Rom. 12:21; cf. 1 Peter 3:9).”
(Rom. 12:21; cf. 1 Peter 3:9)
“21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.”
“9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for
reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may
obtain a blessing.”
7/20/2026
10:59 PM
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