Tag: Hate

A Christian Perspective

Conspiracies and Slander

Loring Schultz
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

“O LORD, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.” (Ps.140:1-3 nlt)

The above verses are a prayer of every Christian in the world today, especially those of us in America. There are evil people committing violent acts. They plan this evil for weeks, months, maybe a year. Their rhetoric reveals what is in their heart, only evil, and it is against Jesus Christ and His followers. Although they will say otherwise. The violent slander that protrudes from their lips is the venom of a conniving snake to destroy the innocent to advance their agenda. Their agenda;  to rid the world from those standing in the way of a global society. The justification for this hatred towards Christians is ‘we are the cause of all the evil in the world.’

Our prayer continues, “O LORD, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me. The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way.” (Ps.140:4-5 nlt) We Christians have a target on our backs. Evil is always scouring the landscape of Christianity to find a weak spot to infiltrate and bring us down. Sadly, we have succumbed to that all to often. We do have a gracious and merciful God who will forgive us, but sometimes the damage is already done and we have lost our influence. Beware of the traps that have been set up in our daily lives. They are there and are not going away.

Our Lord God will listen to our prayers, “I said to the LORD, ‘You are my God!’
Listen, O LORD, to my cries for mercy! O Sovereign LORD, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle.  LORD, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.” (Ps.140:6-8 nlt) When evil people have their way and their schemes succeed, as in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, they do become proud. Celebrating the death of an innocent man for simply speaking what they disagree with is pure evil. But this shouldn’t surprise Christians. I was reminded of this fact this past Sunday of the celebration that will take place by the world at the death of the two witnesses sent by God in the end times. (Rev.11) A must read!

This prayer from the book of Psalms was first spoken by David, king of Israel, who had enemies all around him. Conspiracies and slandering were frequent in his life. David was God’s chosen king of the Jewish people. The surrounding nations hated the Jewish people and their God, therefore the constant threat towards him and Israel. Christians today are God’s chosen people, therefore the threats and slander towards us. The world hates us, because they hate Christ. Oh, they may not say it, but they do.

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Let us remember Jesus’ words, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (Jn.15:18-19 nlt)

And let us also remember Jesus said, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt.28:20 nlt)

Bible Studies

“Blinded by Hate” God’s Providential Hand: The book of Esther    

Loring Schultz

“Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Esther 5:13 NLT

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
 

Hatred is a powerful force and if not dealt with will eventually destroy you as we will begin to see in chapter 5 of Esther. In chapter 4 Queen Esther learns of the official decree to destroy all the Jews. After being persuaded by her cousin Mordecai she agrees to approach the king uninvited to inform him of the innocence of the Jews and Haman’s hatred of them which precipitated the decree he agreed to. King Ahasuerus indifference to the people under his rule in the Persian Empire made it easy for Haman to sell his plan to him. The king obviously failed to notice Haman’s cunningness or any alternative motives on Haman’s part but rushed through without checking the facts. Leaders today have the same blind spots as they sign legislation and executive orders on the advice of those who are only there to serve themselves. And you can be sure there is also some hatred involved.

After three days of fasting and praying, Esther prepares to visit the king by putting on her Royal robes. She made her way into the king’s inner court and stood there waiting. The king noticed her and granted her favor by holding out the golden scepter. Esther may have found favor with King Ahasuerus, but she first found favor with God for her fasting and prayer. “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.” (Pr.21:1 nlt) The Lord directed the king to do what He wanted for Esther, hold out the golden scepter. Christians sometimes hesitate to call on the Lord in prayer for leaders in government not recognizing every leader’s heart is a stream of water God directs. Esther was a recipient of God’s guiding the king’s heart. The Lord did it then, He can do it again.

The king knew his queen enough to understand something was troubling her to approach him unannounced. “Then the king asked her, ‘What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!’” (Es.5:3 nlt) ‘Half the kingdom’ is hyperbole to make the point that the king took it seriously. It is interesting Esther would request a dinner invitation for him and Haman to be accepted. It is more interesting Esther did not confront Haman or tell the king of Haman’s real plan but invited them both to another dinner the next day. This could be answered by attributing this to the God’s providential hand. Haman became more full of himself by Queen Esther’s recognition of him and his high rank in the King Ahasuerus’ court. As Haman exited the palace gates there was Mordecai who again refused to bow to him. “Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious.” (Es.5:9 nlt)

Haman returned home and gathered his friends and Zeresh his wife to boast of his great day. He proceeded to brag about all his accomplishments, his wealth, his ten sons, and that Queen Esther herself invited only him to dinner with her and the king. For one who had it all, he was not very happy with his life. In fact, he was miserable. His hatred blinded him to all that he had, nothing satisfied him if Mordecai, the, Jew was alive. In Haman’s own words, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” (Es.5:13 nlt) Haman exemplifies true hatred. Nothing else was important to him than to do away with his so-called enemy. The evil of hatred is alive and well in our day. We have many Haman look-a-likes from personal resentment, political opponents, religious extremists, to prejudice and racism, and the hatred of Christians worldwide fueling the attempted destructions of innocent people.

Haman didn’t need a lot of encouragement when his wife and friends came up with the solution to his problem. “Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.” (Es.5:14 nlt) Satan has made his move by enticing Haman through his wife and friends to build a gallows fifty cubits (75 ft) high. The gallows would have been as high as the city wall for all the people Susa to see Mordecai hanging in death. The king would also have a good view from the palace which pleased Haman as he was sure the king would give the order to execute Mordecai for his failure to honor the king’s top official. Haman’s problem seems to be rectified for the moment, by God is about to make the next move in this chess match. To be continued…………

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Read: Esther 5 ESV – Esther Prepares a Banquet – On the – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Hated by All

Loring Schultz

“And you will be hated by all because of My name” Matthew 10:22a NASB

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I don’t know anyone who enjoys being hated by others. Even the slightest dislike upon us will put a damper on our emotions. Humans have the need to be loved and be accepted. We do not want others to think of us as weird, annoying, or out of touch with society. We desire to be accepted among those we have interactions with on a daily basis. The problem for Christians is this is not entirely possible if one is consistently living for Christ. Jesus Himself said, “And you will be hated by all because of My name” (Mt.10:22a nasb) ‘Hated by all’ is a powerful, all-inclusive statement. But if Jesus said it, I’ll take Him at His word. We will be hated by all.

It is important to understand who the ‘all’ are. It is all those outside of Christ, all those in need of the saving knowledge of the Savior. We are not hated by our brothers and sisters in Christ, although unfortunately we have a tendency to dislike some of them. The hatred comes from those who see us as a threat to their way of living, those who feel they have no need of ‘religion’ as they say. It comes from those who see us as judgmental for believing and obeying the scriptures. It comes from those who condemn us for believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. Taking a stand for Christ and His Word will indeed cause some friction between us and others, even those closest to us.

Being hated or disliked by others can be avoided through the art of compromise. If you have sensed that others do not have a disregard for you concerning your belief and walk with Jesus, then perhaps you are already administrating the art of compromise. The desire to be accepted by our peers opens the door to be silent or accept alternative views on Jesus and the Bible. Sadly there are also many churches who are being silent and accepting the things of world through compromise. It is time for us to evaluate ourselves individually and as the church. Are we hated by all, hated by some, or not hated at all? Jesus said we will be ‘hated by all’.

Read: Matthew 10:16-22 NASB – A Hard Road Ahead of Them – “Behold, – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Love, Bless, Do Good, and Pray for those who Hate You!

Loring Schultz

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’ ‘But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.’” Matthew 5:43-44 NKJV

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I have heard people say, ‘I like everybody.’ Others have commented, ‘There isn’t a person he or she hasn’t met they do not like.’ Not to be overly critical, but I find that hard to believe. There are a lot of people I don’t like. Sounds unchristian, I know. But think about it. Do you like everyone you know or have ever met? A pastor friend of mine said to me a few years back as I was pursuing a pastorate ministry, you don’t need to like everyone in your congregation, you need to love them. I admit it was a comforting thought, but then realized I needed to love them. That is hard enough, but what about those you despise and hate you, how do you love them?

In the most famous sermon of all time, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’” (Mt. 5:43 NKJV) Loving your neighbor is certainly found in the pages of the Old Testament of which those in His hearing would have recognized. But ‘hate your enemy’ is not in scripture but was from hearing the scribes and Pharisees interpretation on how to apply the command of ‘love your neighbor.’ Obviously, they taught that if you didn’t like someone and they were indeed your enemy, it was permitted to hate them.

Jesus, as he always did, corrected their ill-advised thinking. He knew what they had heard and were taught was the growing sentiment of how to treat people and said to them, ‘But I say to you.’ He was telling them to forget what they heard from their teachers and listen to Him. Those who follow Jesus, live by a whole set of different rules, His rules. We are to love our enemies, bless those who ridicule and mock us, be nice to those who mistreat us, and pray for those who take advantage of us, and persecute us. Again, how are we to do this, love those who hate us? On our own this is impossible, but with Christ’s love living in us through the Holy Spirit, we are assured to love our enemies, even those we don’t like.

Read: Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV – Love Your Enemies – “You have heard – Bible Gateway

A Christian Perspective

Hate Crimes

Loring Schultz

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.’” Matthew 5:21-22 NLT

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            Our judicial system in the United States measures the punishment for a crime by determining what is appropriate according to the severity and circumstances of the crime. Obviously a murder conviction would bring on a much stiffer penalty than an assault charge or shoplifting. More recently in the 21st century the law now includes “hate crimes.” According to the United States Department of Justice a “hate crime” is “a crime plus the motivation for committing the crime based on bias equals a hate crime. In the simplest terms, a hate crime must include both “hate” and a “crime.” (1) The FBI’s definition is; “A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias………Hate itself is not a crime—and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.” (2)

            Our Lord Jesus also had something to say about hate crimes 2,000 years ago. The scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus’s day had an external view of the law. The outward deeds that were seen and committed such as murder would never have be done by these religious leaders. They reasoned they had never broken the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder.” Jesus corrects their misguided thinking, “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” The real issue is the heart.

            Anger, hate, and verbal abuse are the internal seeds of destruction that lead to murder. Jesus was pointing out the guilt of murder and inward sinful seeds resulting in abusive behavior are one and the same. Hate crimes are not only a product of our current society, but a product of a sinful heart since the fall of man in need of a Savior.