Psalm 92:6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. 7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: (KJV)

The sprouting of evil in mankind is God’s way of revealing those, who are His enemies. The Old Testament was and is God’s textbook for the New Covenant text in which we are to grow. The Old was referenced by every New Testament author. It was often referenced by Jesus.

There are times that here upon the face of this earth we see evil grow like wildfire. Just as fire spreads upon the earth, when the land is dry like a desert, so also, does evil spread in the people who experience the drought from God’s truth. God’s word is truth, and when the truth is no longer wanted; then iniquity sets up residence in the dry soil of man’s heart.

Psalm 92:9 For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For, behold, Your enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will be scattered. (NASB1995)

This response seems to be a natural one from the people of God, especially when iniquity spreads seemingly unchecked.

Psalm 92:11 And my eye has looked [exultantly] upon my foes, My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. (NASB1995)

Our discernment, which comes from the Lord, should certainly comply with His word.

Psalm 94:20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree?

This question seems to be an oft asked question in our day, and it comes from more than God’s own people. We hear it loudly proclaimed that God certainly cannot ally Himself with anything but good for all men. How then are we to treat these bold and brazen enemies of whom You speak Lord? Their methods are well known to God and are being made known to us by their fruit.

Psalm 94:21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death.

The ways of God’s enemies have not changed. So the question is: has God changed His mind concerning these enemies since the time that these verses were penned?

We seemingly have here a conundrum. Scripture tells us that God changes not. Yet, it is widely taught that Jesus did change God’s method of dealing with enemies. But did He?

Jesus made a statement that we are to love our enemies. He even asks the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do. So did Jesus not know the words we read above from these Scriptures that are so often quoted? After all He is that Word of God made flesh. It would be impossible for Him to not know this word. So did He intentionally try to confuse us? Or is the confusion felt today from another? Is it from His enemy?

Psalm 94:22 But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil; The LORD our God will destroy them. (NASB1995)

These verses could cause us to ask: is God through Jesus being hypocritical concerning His own laws? God forbid. So what then are we to discern from this seeming conundrum? God is the one who provides the wisdom to be able to discern His truth. Our truth is our own. We need His.

Psalm 96:10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” (NASB1995).

God’s judgment must always comport with His truth. We who have His word are held to the truth of it and to His provided wisdom for understanding. It is firmly established for us.

9 For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.

Men are constantly ignoring who God is and what He is doing on the earth. He has established for us in His word His own wisdom and that wisdom is taught to us by His Holy Spirit.

So God what do you mean because what others bring to us is confusion as concerning our enemies?

Is there then a distinction between enemies whom we are to love and enemies that we are to hate even as You do?

Psalm 97:10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (NASB1995)

We are delivered by God from the wicked. If we are determined to lump all of our enemies into the same box; then we will by so doing have added fuel onto this fire of man’s confusion, which fire is constantly spreading from the pit of hell. There are obviously enemies who are wicked; they are called evil. God here tells us to hate the evil of the wicked if we love Him. There is no doubt that these are enemies, so are we to love them and at the same time hate them?

On the other hand there are enemies who know not what they are doing. You and I can be and often are among these very enemies to one another.

To whom then was Jesus speaking from the cross, when He prayed: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”? If He was praying for everyone in the world then you would need to become a universalist and as such you would then believe that all sin was forgiven on the cross for all of mankind by that one prayer of our Lord.

Was Jesus in that prayer praying for every person, who had anything to do with His being on that cross? If so, we are all forgiven because we as sinners all had a part in the reason for His death. This cannot be the case however, because Jesus Himself put limits on who it is who will be forgiven:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB1995)

And then there were those to whom Jesus said:

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (KJV)

Did Jesus mean to ask the Father to forgive these enemies knowing that they were of their father the devil?

Todays confused Christian is often an advocate for these persons, who have accepted the ways of Satan, arguing that we are to love everyone, even all of our enemies, and all of God’s enemies.

That my brothers is just not so. God’s enemies are our enemies. We are to resist evil or it will overtake us. Our resistance however is Spiritual through prayer. His discernment coming to us allows us to know these wicked enemies by their works and that knowledge is confirmed to us by His Spirit, who leads us into all truth.

Be not deceived God is not mocked. If men knowingly and purposefully refuse God and His ways, then they are God’s enemies, and if their be any discernment from God that knowledge can be made our own.

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