Thursday, July 21, 2016

Love No Matter What...Follow The Command to Turn The Other Cheek

Deuteronomy 19:4-7 - This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

Moses reminded the people that God wanted them to strategically place up to 6 cities of refuge within the borders of the land he was giving them.  God knew there would be accidental deaths among them…and those who missed these loved ones would want to seek revenge on the ones who caused the deaths. These cities would be places where one could run and be protected until the avengers had stopped threatening their life.

In the same chapter is a reminder that anyone found to cause deaths with any forethought…should be put to death as a punishment. Following those instructions is the familiar verse that says…Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. But later on in Matthew 5:38-39…Jesus told them the fulfilled meaning of this law. He said… “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

I am so glad that Jesus fulfilled this Old Testament law with his death on the cross. All the eyes…feet….hands and hearts that broke this law or ever will break this law….were redeemed in that moment that Jesus sacrificed  his perfect life for all sins. We no longer have to judge whether anything is a sin…that is God’s job. And we can be comforted by the fact that very life taken in error or with evil forethought will be given a new…body to live in Heaven…glorifying God and basking in his glory for eternity.

My only job is to love everyone…no matter what. Yes…I admit that this is hard.  One has to view all people alike…even the most evil hearts that we see committing the most recent heinous sins against completely innocent people. One has to rid themselves of all our own perceptions…and clothe our hearts with God’s perfect view of any heart that was created.

In truth…Jesus was the only one to ever do this.  The rest of us get it once in a while…when it is easy for us…or when one of our own family is involved…or sometimes when God just gives us a passion for one soul that he knows can be transformed with the love we can give them…God’s perfect love.

I know in my heart that responding to these evils with hate and malleus is only making it worse.  Hate is multiplied…and the evil is given more territory to spread its destruction. I needed the reminder that my response to all evil acts that I perceive as sin…must be to show so much love of god that the evil will run from this flooded area of God’s light.  Evil can’t handle this holy presence of God…the Bible says in many places that demons were cast out in Jesus name.


Father…thank you for the reminder that love will someday triumph over the evils God allows to manifest in the earthly world.  Forgive for the times that I do not do my part in helping God conquer evil by loving all others no matter what my earthly heart tells me.  Help me to find the strength …courage…and wisdom to show your love in all situations to all people.  Amen.

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