![]() Read that again through the lens of “loving your enemy” or better yet, “praying for those who persecute you.” “ Fill their faces with dishonor, that they may seek Your name, O L ORD.” As 18 essentially reinforces 16, let’s zero in on verse 16: I find the two most subtle moments in this 83rd Psalm to fall in verses 16 and 18. They reveal the subtleties in their complementary color. Further, these contrasting colors, which are opposite one another on the color wheel, serve to complement one another. The orange reveals just how blue the room really is, and the blue reveals just how orange the vase really is. It’s sorta like walking into a room that is almost all blue, and then there is a bright orange vase prominently featured. I choose to look at contradictions as contrast. When approaching what appears to be a contradiction in Scripture, I have to step back for a moment and redefine what I am seeing. Yes, there is a little bit of truth to this argument, but maybe, if we lean into the Holy Spirit and allow Him to reveal Himself in these moments, we will find that He has as much to show us about the sinful natures we continue to cling to as He has to reveal about the glory and wonder of our beautiful Creator. You know the argument, “Well, Jesus came to show us a new way and the Old Testament often shows you what it was like without Jesus.” And then we walk away until the next contradiction reveals itself. New Testament” argument in these situations. I don’t know about you, but I find myself weary of the standard “Old Testament vs. How did the omnipotent, infallible God mess this one up? The Truth in Contradiction Is this “pray for your enemies” thing that Jesus teaches actually for real?įor that matter, isn’t this a blatant contradiction between two places we claim to be the “inspired Word of God”? This doesn’t sound like “loving” and it doesn’t sound like he’s praying for anyone but himself. He wanted God to “pursue” the enemy with His “tempest” and to “terrify” the enemy with His “storm.” He prayed that God’s enemies would be “humiliated” and “perish.” ![]() It is such a simple, yet challenging, message, but doesn’t it stand in direct opposition to what Asaph’s psalm teaches? Asaph was praying for destruction and annihilation. Jesus proclaims, “ You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” in Matthew 5:43-44. While I hope you read this prayer in its entirety (verses 9-18), I will focus in on just a few verses which I would like to view through the lens Jesus provides in His Words from the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5). It is in this prayer that I become particularly challenged. And, after identifying them, Asaph begins to pray and raise a petition against their actions before God. In the next three verses, Asaph names the tribes and nations who have joined the ranks of the enemies. ![]() desire to wipe Israel out as a nation, wishing that Israel be remembered no more.I’ve found his writings to be a challenge to my customary mindset and this final psalm of his is no exception.Īs you can clearly read in the opening 5 verses, Asaph is praying to God about God’s enemies who are conspiring against His people, Israel. I must admit, I have grown quite fond of Asaph’s psalms and I’m a bit saddened to be moving forward knowing I won’t be encountering more of his writings. The 83rd Psalm is the final psalm attributed to the psalmist, Asaph. It certainly keeps me praying-very hard!ĭear Father, I’d rather not, but You have commanded me to pray for everyone, even _.Please open your Bible or Bible app and read this psalm on your own, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to you through His Word. I continue to pray for Monty daily-only now, I also pray for the fellow who criticized him. ![]() Praying for those I dislike isn’t easy it involves honestly dredging up feelings of disappointment, hurt, anger and indignation. I’m not sure how our enemies benefit, but I can tell you how I do when I attempt praying for them. Why should I give up on praying for someone because it wasn’t easy to do? I found myself humbly praying, Father, I thank you for the difficulty of this prayer. Maybe I should stop praying for Monty since it always seems to stir up my bad attitude and makes me think about all of the faults and shortcomings of the guy who criticized him.Ī cloud scooted over the sun and I suddenly realized that I never give up my prayer walk, even if it’s raining. I stopped on the sidewalk and thought: Praying for Monty drags me down because of how disappointed I am with the fellow who undermined him. Every day when I prayed for Monty I found myself becoming upset all over again.
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