SABBATH THOUGHT 2026-08-08—DO WE PRAY BLESSINGS ON AN ENEMY?
May God bless you on His Sabbath day!
A conversation came up recently about dealing with an enemy:
MATTHEW 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I [Jesus Christ] 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,
An enemy is someone who has anger and hatred toward others. It leads to insults, threats, false accusations, theft, fraud, wrath, cruelty, and abuse toward their victims. To be clear, an enemy can be anyone including someone among the ekklesia. But the question was, when we pray for an enemy are we to ask God to bless and do good for them? At first glance, it might seem like a good thing to pray those things for an enemy but consider the three separate and distinct instructions that Jesus gave:
1) “Bless those who curse you,”
2) “Do good to those who hate you,”
3) “Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
To make sense of this, first understand that dealing with an enemy is a matter of justice and judgment:
ROMANS 12:17-19 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
The phrase “all men” certainly includes enemies. Showing love to an enemy is not repaying them with evil. Anger is a natural response to someone who hurts another and one way to deal an enemy is by seeking justice under the Law of God that entitles a victim to compensation and restitution. This could be through the civil judicial system by suing them in a court of law. Another course would be taking the matter to the ekklesia to render a judgment as described in Matthew 18:16-17. It may come as a surprise, but this is a legal judicial process although it has no civil authority. However, Paul directs us to turn justice over to God and let Him judge our enemies, partly because our enemies are also His enemies and they would do well to remember that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”[1] Regardless, matters pertaining to enemies—and all relationships—always fall under the Law because it defines justice and sin that are enforced through judgments.
That rather long comment was to make the point that whether or not God blesses or does good for an enemy is something He decides as a judgment. A child should not be rewarded for bad behavior and praying blessings and good things for an enemy does not make sense because it would be rewarding their sin. Besides, it is enough to work through the emotions of anger to be able to truly forgive an enemy. Instead of adding to the burden of emotions by asking God to bless and do good for an enemy, forgiveness is a better place to direct our prayers.
Instead of being the subject of prayers, blessing and do good for an enemy are what victims must DO. So, the question now is what does it mean to bless and do good for an enemy? Jesus expands on them in the next verses:
MATTHEW 5:45-48 “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He [God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
God judges everyone exactly the same way whether they are good or evil. This is justice—dealing with people justly, equitably, and fairly. Blessing and doing good for an enemy, then, is treating them exactly the same way as anyone else. What does that entail? Luke explains it in his account:
LUKE 6:27-31, 35-36 “But I [Jesus Christ] say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 “To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. … 35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Verse 31 is what is known as the Golden Rule that is usually modernized as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke said this is showing kindness and mercy. But the Golden Rule is important because it fulfills the Law. Notice what Matthew said about the Golden Rule:
MATTHEW 7:12 “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is [fulfills][2] the Law and the Prophets.
The Golden Rule fulfills the Law and the Prophets because it is just another way of expressing the Second Great Commandment—“love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:38). The Second Great Commandment is the Law that dictates how people must be treated, including enemies. Violations of the Second Great Commandment are sin and judged by God. This is why it is important to fulfill the Law when dealing with an enemy—God judges everyone according to the way they treat others[3].
But blessing and doing good are two different things that might need a little explanation. Blessings are often through the spoken word:
JAMES 3:8-10 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
While James is writing about a different topic, from this it is obvious that “out of the … mouth proceed blessing and cursing” but James later cautioned the ekklesia, “Do not speak evil of [curse] one another, brethren.”[4] When it comes to an enemy, a blessing can be refraining from speaking evil, which takes us back to the precept of “repay no one evil for evil.” Not saying evil things about an enemy, even if they are true, reflects a heart disciplined in agape love:
LUKE 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
A blessing is obviously saying good things but it is also refraining from speaking evil. Jesus’ command to do good for an enemy was in accord with a statute in the Law:
EXODUS 23:4-5 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
The Law requires returning someone’s stray animal but it also demands that doing good is not to be withheld even when it involves an enemy. This aligns with a judgment pronounced by Solomon:
PROVERBS 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
But on the flip side, Jesus also said, “from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.”[5] Doing good for an enemy is acting justly, equitably, and fairly as you would with a ‘neighbor’ AND giving aid and relief when the need arises.
Blessings and doing good are, at a minimum, “repaying no one evil for evil” and they fulfill the Law according to the Second Great Commandment. But it is important to know that there is no statute in the Law that someone must seek out or create opportunities to bless or do good for an enemy:
CORINTHIANS 5:11-13 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Paul lists some of the evil deeds of an “evil person.” An evil person who does evil to someone is their enemy (and God’s). We are to always treat enemies with justice, equity, and fairness and render aid and relief but ONLY when the occasion arises. As with any serious offense, many times it is best to avoid further contact and communication and it is never a sin to do so. It is, in fact, something Paul urged:
ROMANS 16:17 Now I [Paul] urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Reconciliation is possible with many offenses but the degree of evil is not to be ignored. Insults, threats, and false accusations are one thing, but thefts, fraud, wrath, cruelty, abuse, etc. are something quite different that can result in terrible physical and emotional harm and injury. These should be taken seriously and that is why those who cause serious offenses should be avoided. Anger is the catalyst for all evil and offenses as discussed in the Sabbath Thought 2026-08-01 Case Against Angry People. So, avoiding an enemy not only puts away evil from your midst[6] but it is staying out of harm’s way. However, if you encounter an enemy, then fulfill the Law by not repaying them with evil and accord them with the justice of the Second Great Commandment. Again, dealing with people, especially enemies, is always a matter of the Law requiring judicial judgment because sin is involved. Now notice the rest of Solomon’s judgment:
PROVERBS 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
ROMANS 12:20-21 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The phrase “you will heap coals of fire on his head” is NOT the motive for showing love to an enemy—it is the judgment they will receive from God. Those who bless and do good for an enemy are showing agape love; they would never dump coals of fire on someone’s head. That is a description of the judgment of God that condemns those who are unjust and evil to the Lake of Fire. In contrast, the judgment of God rewards those who are just and show love to an enemy. Doing these things when we encounter an enemy is how we, who were once enemies of God ourselves, “overcome evil with good.” Many times, however, this also requires accepting the wrong without justice ever being served:
[DOUAY] 1 CORINTHIANS 6:1, 7 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to be judged before the unjust, and not before the saints ? … 7 Already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
This was touched upon in the beginning. Allowing ourselves to be wronged by not seeking a judgment against an enemy is actually establishing perfect justice. How? It turns an enemy over to God to judge them with His justice, not ours. This is what is meant by “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Perfection is through agape love[7] because it prefers God’s justice over ours.
Finally, Jesus said to pray for our enemies; not to pray blessings and good things but to beseech God to give you a heart of sincere forgiveness for your enemy that is wrapped in the peace from Jesus Christ that assuages all offenses[8]:
[KJV+] PSALM 119:165 Great peace have those which love Thy [the LORD’S] law: and nothing [shall offend them].
Loving an enemy requires humility and contriteness (remorse for sin) before God who showed us mercy and compassion when we were His enemies. To bless, do good, and pray for an enemy fulfills the Second Great Commandment, which called the ROYAL Law:
JAMES 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” …
The Second Great Commandment requires love and justice be given to everyone. It has been the elusive striving of peoples who live in a world of injustice. But there is coming a time when it will be the Law of the land that is taught and administered by kings and priests of God; these will judge the world![9] The Second Great Commandment is called the Royal Law because everyone is accorded the same justice, equity, and fairness whether they are paupers or kings.[10]
May God’s grace and peace be upon you!
Steven Greene
https://sabbathreflections.org