Part two of three postings

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad….Proverbs 24:17-18

As we learned in part one of this posting , the Word of God indicates that God Himself will stop defending us with His full powers, if we harbor vindictiveness against those we consider enemies.

In addition to these warnings, Proverbs 24, contains five commands, two are explicitly stated, while the other three are implied. They are:

1. Do not celebrate your enemies adversity: “Rejoice not…”

2. Do not be glad when your enemy is sad: “and let not thine heart be glad”

3.Do not harbor a spirit of revenge. [implied]

4. Cultivate goodwill, or a desire for repentance, and reconciliation. [implied]

5. Receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit--and OBEY Him. [implied]

In the first two commands God orders us to neither celebrate, smile, nor gloat when evil befalls our bitterest enemy.

He speaks not only to outward displays of revenge but also to its inner presence known only to us and the Holy Spirit.

The only way to avoid delighting in the demise of our detractors is to not allow the cause of such reactions-the spirit of revenge- to rest in our hearts.

If you want to kill a weed, pluck it up by its roots.

Removal however is not the full solution; we must also refill our hearts with something of God, namely goodwill.

The apostle John asked that heavenly fire be called down upon the Samaritans, who were, the Jews longstanding enemies. Jesus who was nearby reminded the embryonic apostle of the message of love, that the purpose of His mission was blessed reconciliation, not the bitterness of revenge. “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56)

We too must remember this and pray on a regular basis for our enemies to repent: “pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

To live in this conciliatory spirit, or the love of God, in this bitter, revengeful world, we need to be filled with a new spirit--the Holy Spirit.

WHY?

Only He imparts and helps us cultivate Gods own love, which enables us to permanently conquer the spirit of revenge: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit who is given to us” (Romans 5:5)

Merely receiving the Spirit is not enough.

We must continually yield to Him, if we want to display His love.

Hence the five commands listed above.

When God commands, men question: “But why, God? “Why should I neither celebrate nor be glad when my enemies fall?”

In the next posting we will examine the three reasons given in scripture that directs us to do as God has commanded regarding the seeking of revenge.