Pray for & forgive them; (The
Key)
for
they Know NOT what
they do.
Jesus; But I tell you, love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)
Then said Jesus, Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and
cast lots. (Luke 23:34)
In other words if they Plan and Know what Evil they
are doing that’s a different prayer…
Imprecatory prayer.
To imprecate means “to invoke
evil upon or curse” one’s enemies. King David, the psalmist most associated
with imprecatory verses such as Psalm 55:15, 69:28,
and 109:8,
often used phrases like, “may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel
of the LORD pursuing them” (Psalm 35:6) and “O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!” (Psalm 58:6).
Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, and 139 were written by David to ask God to bring judgment upon his enemies.
Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, and 139 were written by David to ask God to bring judgment upon his enemies.
Jesus quoted some of the
imprecatory psalms during His earthly ministry. In John 15:25,
Jesus quotes Psalm 35:19 and 69:4. Paul
also quoted an imprecatory prayer in Romans
11:9–10, which is a quote of Psalm
69:22–23. Since Jesus and Paul quoted verses from these imprecatory psalms,
it proves those psalms were inspired by God and counters any allegation that
they were sinful or selfish prayers of revenge.
Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but
against principalities,
against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And
your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts
of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with
all perseverance and supplication for all saints
2 Chronicles 1:11
And God said to Solomon, Because
this was in thine heart, and thou
hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long
life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge
my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge
is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such
as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there
any after thee have the like.
The 4 Old Testament
books Jesus quotes most
#4 Exodus
Exodus
is famous for the stories of Moses, the burning bush, the 10 plagues, and the
parting of the Red Sea. It’s the story of God calling Israel from Egypt and
making them his own people in the wilderness.
Jesus
quotes Exodus seven times,
usually referencing the laws God gives Israel in the wilderness—especially
the Ten Commandments:
- Jesus references the
burning bush incident when explaining the resurrection (Ex 3:6; Mt 22:32; Mk 12:26; Lk 20:37).
- He recalls the Ten
Commandments when telling a rich man how to enter the kingdom of God (Ex 20:12–16; Mt 19:18–19; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20).
- He mentions the fifth
commandment (honoring parents) when exposing the Pharisees’ and scribes’
hypocrisy (Ex 20:12, 21:17; Mt 15:4; Mk 7:10).
- And of course, the
commandments against murder and adultery show up in Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount (Ex
20:12–13; Mt
5:21, 27).
- Jesus quotes the famous
“eye for an eye” line right before telling his disciples to turn the other
cheek (Ex 21:24; Mt 5:38).
#3 Isaiah
Jesus
quotes the book of Isaiah eight times during
his ministry. Isaiah was a prophet who wrote about the coming judgment of both
Israel’s kingdoms—and the comfort that God would bring to his people afterward.
Jesus
quotes Isaiah to describe the disconnect between the people and their God. For
example:
- Jesus speaks in parables,
fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy concerning “eyes that do not see” and “ears
that do not hear” (Is 6:9–10; Mt 13:14–15; Mk 4:12; Lk 8:10).
- When Jesus turns over the
tables in the temple, he references Isaiah’s words on how the house of God
was intended to operate (Is
56:7; Mt 21:13; Mk 11:17; Lk 19:46).
- He calls out the Pharisees
and scribes for their lip service to God—they honor God with their words,
but their hearts are far, far from him (Is 29:13; Mt 15:8–9; Mk 7:6–7).
- He alludes to Isaiah in
his parable of the vineyard (Is 5:1; Mt 21:33; Mk 12:1; Lk 20:9).
These
messages aren’t always well-received, but that shouldn’t be a surprise—they
weren’t very popular back when Isaiah wrote them, either.
But
Jesus doesn’t always dwell on the negatives. He also quotes Isaiah when
describing how his ministry reconciles the people back to God:
- He quotes Isaiah’s
prophecy that Jesus would die a sinner’s death (Is 53:12; Lk 22:37).
- His salvation ministry allows
the people to be taught of God (Is 54:13; Jn 6:45).
- He heals the blind and
brings good news to the afflicted (Is 61:1–2; Mt 11:5; Lk 4:18–19, 7:22).
Jesus
quotes Isaiah to highlight the disconnect between God and the people, but he
also quotes Isaiah to remind people of the comfort God will bring through him.
#2 Deuteronomy
Another
book of Moses—the last of the five. Deuteronomy wraps up the story of Israel’s
wanderings in the wilderness. Moses calls the people together and lays out
God’s expectations for them in the future, once they take the land of Canaan.
Jesus
quotes Deuteronomy on 10 occasions in the gospels, and it’s the only OT book Jesus
quotes when he speaks to the devil.
- Jesus sums up the law and
the prophets with a line from Deuteronomy (and another from Leviticus):
love God, and love your neighbor as yourself (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:29–33; Lk 10:27).
- The Ten Commandments are
in both Exodus and Deuteronomy: Jesus references both books when he cites
the commandments.
- Jesus references
Deuteronomy when he discusses divorce (Dt 24:1–3; Mt 5:31, 19:7; Mk 10:4).
- He mentions Moses’ rule of
witnesses when he outlines church discipline (Dt 19:15; Mt 18:16).
- When Satan tempts Jesus in
the wilderness, Jesus responds with passages from Deuteronomy (Dt 6:13, 16, 8:3; Mt 4:4, 7, 10; Lk 4:4, 8, 12).
#1 Psalms
Psalms
is the most-read
book of the Bible, and it’s the one Jesus quotes most often.
The
book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and poems written to God. David
penned half of them, and the rest were written by temple worship leaders (like
the sons of Asaph), wise men (like Solomon), and some unknown poets (like . . .
well, I don’t know).
Jesus
quotes the Psalms on 11 occasions:
- Jesus outwits the
Pharisees with the Psalms on several occasions (Ps 8:2, 110:1; Mt 21:16, 22:44; Mk 12:36, 14:62; Lk 20:42–43).
- He quotes the
twenty-second Psalm while dying on the cross: “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1; Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34). He then
fulfills the thirty-first Psalm by committing his spirit to the Father
(31:5; Lk 23:46).
- Jesus is hated without
cause, which he says the Psalms foretold (Ps 35:19, 69:4; Jn 15:25).
- He quotes the Psalms when
talking about his betrayal (Ps
41:9; Jn 13:18).
- Jesus recalls the manna in
the wilderness after feeding a multitude (Ps 78:24; Jn 6:31).
- When the Jews want to
stone Jesus for claiming to be God, he responds with a line Psalms (Ps 82:6; Jn 10:34).
- Jesus quotes Psalm 110 when Pilate
asks if he is the son of God (Ps 110:1; Mt 26:64).
- He quotes Psalms to the
chief priests and elders, calling himself the chief cornerstone (Ps 118:22–23; Matt 21:42; Mk 12:10; Luke 20:17).
- Jesus references Psalms
when foretelling Jerusalem’s destruction (Ps 118:26; Matt 23:39; Lk 13:35).
