Love Your Enemies
We started studying 1 Samuel back in January. We’ve taken 28 weeks to get through 31 chapters and today we will conclude the @irst half of the Book of Samuel. The goal of our pastors and teaching team was to provide a clear contrast between a life lived in Christ versus a life lived without Christ. And so today we will look at one of the most de@ining contrasts of a life lived in Christ.
Indeed, the scriptures tell us that we will be known as followers of Christ by our love. But love can be a very subjective term and its meaning and quality can be placed on a sliding scale depending on the circumstances. But Jesus sets the terms for what love should look like and how it is to be demonstrated. In Matthew 5, Jesus clearly teaches,
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. - Matt. 5:43-45
So we know the expectation now but WHO is our enemy?
Someone who hates you and attempts to harm you physically, mentally, or spiritually. • A bully at school or work
- An abusive spouse
- A criminal
- An agent of a nation at war with us
- Satan
Your enemy is not people who disagree with you. We must put away this idea that if we don’t see eye to eye on something we get to be unkind or show hatred to one another. It’s not loving and it’s a hindrance to the cause of Christ. We have a higher purpose to accomplish and a more worthy idea to embody as the church.
And today’s text provides examples of that worthy idea. Turn to 1 Samuel 31 as we begin.
Saul finds himself and his army in full retreat. He runs to the high grounds of Mount Gilboa where he witnesses the death of his 3 sons and finds himself near death with only his armor bearer at his side. This should not surprise Saul because Samuel’s ghost told him this was going to happen. It’s a tragic ending for a mighty king who chose to disobey God. But even in the despair of death and loss, love finds a way to reveal itself.
As we read, we will Wind three actions that progressively lead us to God’s will for loving our enemies.
The first action is love bound by duty. (Vs. 4-5)
Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
I don’t know about you but this would not have been my reaction....This act of love is difficult for us to understand in our culture. We most likely would not have responded the same way because we have grown up in a dignity culture that prioritizes the individual's worth. The armor bearer grew up in an honor culture that prioritizes social image, reputation, and worth that can be granted or taken away by others.1 With the death of Saul, the armor bearer lost his worth and place in society.
The armor bearer’s worth and reputation were tied to his job and at this moment they were both in severe jeopardy. In addition, the armor bearer understood that Saul was the Lord’s anointed and a holy fear would have motivated to not harm the king even though he was being commanded to do so. The fear of standing before the judgment of the Lord with blood on your hands and shame in your heart was too much for the armor bearer and so he refused to kill Saul.
One way to relate this to our modern context is when a loved one commits such a heinous act that it fundamentally alters your family and place in society. The parents of school shooters experience this excruciating dilemma of embracing their loved ones or cutting them out of their lives altogether which is a form of death. Those who choose to embrace their loved one pay a heavy price in society but they are bound by duty to love the child that God has given them despite their terrible actions. They must face their own form of social and emotional death because they will be forever tagged with the actions of their child
Love bound by duty can be a beautiful thing but it’s not quite the full picture of how God wants us to love others.
The second action is a repayment of love (vs. 11-13)
But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned
them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days.
If you have been studying with us in 1 Samuel, the town of Jabesh-gilead should ring a bell. Back in chapter 11, we read that Saul gathers an army and saves the people of Jabesh- gilead from the Ammonites. So they had a big debt of gratitude and love for Saul because he had saved them from death and enslavement.
We also see in the Book of Judges chapter 212 that there is a familial connection with the people of Jabesh-gilead because they were instrumental in saving the tribe of Benjamin of which Saul was a member. So there is already of sense of kinship and loyalty that motivates the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead to ride through the night and retrieve the bodies of Saul and his three sons.
We can understand this type of love a little easier than the @irst because it is very natural for us to act lovingly toward those who have done something for us that we could not do on our own. We would agree that repaying someone’s loving action with another loving action is appropriate and even necessary for the continuation of the relationship.
In our context, we see this played out in the belief of our military that no one is left behind. How many movies and books have been produced illustrating the profound love shown by our men and women in uniform for their fellow soldiers.
This type of action transcends personal connection and is rooted in nationalistic pride and the belief that the very least we can do for someone who has laid down their life for our country and ideals should be brought home to their family and place of birth. The repayment of love is another form of duty and obligation.
It is a worthy way to to show love but how do we show love when there is no duty or obligation to do so?
The third action is genuine love shown to an enemy (2 Sam. 1:11-12)
David learns of Saul’s death by a man in Saul’s camp, an Amalekite. David has just returned from defeating the Amalekites who had kidnapped two of his wives. Bad day to show up and be an Amalekite.
The Amalekites were centuries-old enemies of Israel and were responsible for countless atrocities towards the Hebrew nation. So the ancient reader would have picked up very quickly that the report coming from the young Amalekite was less than truthful and was told in hopes that he could gain favor with the new king.3 For more on this see my notes online.
So how does David respond to the news of Saul’s death? Let’s look at vs. 11.
Then David took hold of his wineskin, popped the cork, and rejoiced with his men as they made plans to take the throne.......
Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword.
David and his men respond with heartfelt grief and love not only for Saul and Jonathan but for the nation as a whole. They realized the huge impact that this would have for all the people of Israel. They could look beyond Saul’s animosity and hatred and see that his death would have a profoundly negative impact on their countrymen.
Speaking of negative impacts, the Amalekite is about to face the consequences of his deception starting in vs. 13.
13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
David was so committed to loving his enemy, Saul, that he would not stand for the person who “admitted” to killing them to get away without justice. Even though he may have suspected the Amalekite was lying he would not tolerate the admission of guilt to go unpunished. So David has torn his clothes, fasted and mourned, and executed the alleged murderer of his enemy and he is not done yet.
He does what any good musician does with grief and loss...he writes a song about it.
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:
[19] “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
[20] Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult
[21] “You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor Wields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was deWiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
[22] “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
[23] “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
[24] “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
[25] “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
[26] I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
[27] “How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
David loves Saul and Jonathan so much that he wants the best for them even in death. He implores the listener to not publish this news in the Philistines cities. Even though David and Saul had a complicated relationship, he immortalizes the slain king and his son with a tribute that is free of negative conclusions.
David does not focus on all the mistakes Saul made but rather he generously eulogizes him to create a positive legacy rather than tearing him down. He goes as far as to instruct that this song should be taught to the people of Judah and it’s published in the book of Jashar which means the Book of the Upright. Imagine knowing Saul how we know him and including him in a book about the upright.
Yet David is seeking the best for Saul despite their contentious relationship. David’s action towards his enemy, Saul, best illustrates the Lord’s command of us to love our enemies.
Given David’s example of loving his enemy, I ask you this question...
Challenge
How do you love those who treat you like enemies—especially those in your family, community, and work?
Let me guess—-you probably haven’t torn your polo shirt? Miss a meal over your enemy or wrote a song about it?
Lead with empathy
Ask yourself to imagine what it must be like to be in your enemy's shoes.
Hurt people hurt people.
Empathy is instructive and helps soften our hearts. It is not an excuse for bad
behavior and don’t let your enemy off the hook.
Empathy without boundaries is foolish - David had empathy for Saul but he
kept his distance. He maintained his personal safety while keeping his heart tender toward Saul.
Empathy can help us with forgiveness but it may not lead to reconciliation
Begin to pray
ThisistheWirstsignthatyouarebeginningtoloveyourenemies.
Juststartevenifyourheartisn’tinit.
Pray honest prayers and seek the good of your enemy by asking the Lord’s
blessing and favor upon their lives.
Jesus IS Lord
We don’t believe God has the right to tell us how and who to love.
Don’t give yourself room or permission to not obey what the Lord says in regards to your enemies. Believe and obey what the Bible instructs us to do and think.
Here is just one of many passages in the Bible that describe Jesus as Lord
He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, tthe Wirstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. - Colossians 1:15-18
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, - Matthew 5:44
And lastly, as I close, I want you to really consider one @inal enemy. I left it off the list in my introduction because I need your help deciding if it's really an enemy or not. I think it might be because we reserve the harshest words and criticisms for this person. We have no problem being unkind and mean to them.
In fact, sometimes we are so afraid of them and what they will do that we @ind a cage and we stuff them in it, lock the door, and bury the key. But no matter how deep we bury the key, it seems they always manage to escape and show back up....and we see this enemy every time we look in the mirror.
We oftentimes do not like what we see looking back at us and we search desperately for answers and relief. We hope no one else sees what we see and the shame grows steadily each day. Our text today is good news for us because it shows us we can love our enemies. It won’t be accomplished in our strength but in the same supernatural power that allowed David to love his enemy. The good news is that you can respond to God’s love and start loving yourself.....all of yourself.
One of the most loving things you can do right now is to love yourself like God loves you. Treat yourself like He treats you. See yourself as He sees you.
In just a few moments, I’m going to give you an opportunity to do that very loving thing but first consider how God loves you. We read in Romans 5,
[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. [10] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. [11] More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. -Romans 5:6– 11
Discussion Guide 1 Samuel 31
- Why was Saul’s defeat a complete and total disaster for Israel?
- What might a comparable national tragedy look like in our day?
- What do you make of Saul’s suicide?
- Why would Saul’s armor bearer not grant Saul’s request?
- How did the men of Jabesh Gilead demonstrate bravery?
- Why did they feel the need to bury Saul?
- How did Jabesh mourn?
- Why is grief an important emotion to show and deal with?
- How do we handle grief well?
- How do we not handle grief well?
- What role does the church play in helping people to lament?
For a good primer on grief and how to deal with it, here is a quick video that might help prepare you for the discussion.
https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/video/how-do-i-handle-grief-as-a-christian/