In the last BLOG we saw that Moses prayed against those that hated God. He was a man that knew God and spoke to Him face to face. He was the man that cried to see the glory of God (Ex 33:18) and God revealed His glory to. Was Moses in sin in this prayer? Is there that much difference between the Testaments? It brought us to the thought of how to treat those that openly hate the God we love with all of our being. While we are to treat our personal enemies with love, how are we to treat the public enemies of God? David was a man after God’s heart and wrote many Psalms about how much he desired God and longed for God from the depths of his heart.
63:1 – A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
139:19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22. I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me.
It might appear that these Psalms are direct opposites and we might question whether the same man wrote these. However, these are all from David and all reflect the same heart of love for God. David longed for God and desired to taste His glory. When others oppose God and hate Him, a hatred for them from David was a sign of love for God. David, as King of Israel, was on the throne of a theocracy. In one sense his enemies were God’s enemies. However, in Psalm 139 we see the enemies of God taking His name in vain (v. 20). This is a violation of the third commandment and we hear that in America all of the time. David wrote this after words of exalting God and expressing His love for God. This should be seen as a continuance of praise and worship of God.
In Psalm 139 David prays that God would slay the wicked (v. 19). He says that he hates those that hate the LORD and loathes those that rise against Him (v. 21). He even says that he hates them with the utmost hatred (v. 22) which is more than just a little. What is interesting, then, is that David then asks God to search his heart and to try his heart and his anxious thoughts to see if there was a hurtful way in him (v. 23). This last part shows that David did not see one thing wrong with his attitude toward God and those that hated God, but instead he saw it as true worship of the true and living God. He saw his prayer and attitude as flowing from His love for God. In his younger years we see David killing Goliath. His words as he approached Goliath are very relevant: Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted”” (I Sam 17:45). David’s love for God and His kingdom at that time was seen in his taking up arms and killing Goliath.
Some might say that Jesus had a far different attitude. I am not so sure that He did. He had very strong words for the Pharisees over and over again. Matthew 23:33 is one location for His strong words: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” He came and disarmed rulers and authorities and triumphed over them (Col 2:15). He came to rule until all the enemies of God are put under His feet (I Cor 15:25). At the cross Jesus defeated the devil and took captives from him. Jesus came and was the kingdom of God that fought against the kingdom of evil. The kingdom of God is in every person that has truly repented of sin and has Christ as his or her life. But we must be very careful here. While indeed we are truly in a spiritual war with the devil and the enemies of God, we are not longer a physical nation to take up arms. We certainly are not to kill our personal enemies nor take it upon ourselves to kill the enemies of God. But surely this should instruct our prayer lives. While we pray for our personal enemies and pray for the Gospel to go out, surely we must pray for God to overcome His enemies. While we don’t know whether He will convert them or not, surely a prayer for His kingdom to come will include the defeat of the enemies of God. Do we really love God?
God Loves... Himself 
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