Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host
author speaker, Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Wednesday, August
twenty seven, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is Elle
David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single
day and today is no exception. We are continuing in
our Lesson study series through the Book of Exodus, and
our caption for today is an I for an eye,
uh oh an I for an eye. Before we get
into that, I'd like to just say welcome to you
and ask you to please go over to your Daily
Portion dot com. Please join our online community, pick up
the Your Daily Portion Life application guide, and let us
know where you are in the world. At your Daily
Portion dot com. This is one of the ways that
we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead
and pray, and then we will get underway. Father, we
thank you for this day and for giving us justice.
You've shown us what equal balances are. You've shown us
what the right pathway is. You've shown us how to
deal with conflicts. Please help us to live according to
the truths you have shown us. In Jesus' name, I
pray amen and Amen again. And I for an eye.
Oh yeah, there's some people who have that snapback, bust
back mentality like I'm gonna get back at whoever comes
to me the wrong way. An I for an eye,
Like it's retaliatory, it's reprisals. Yeah, retributive. Yeah, that's how
some people naturally think. But Jesus is teaching something else.
And before some people start beating your drums about passivity,
that is not what we're talking about. So there is
an actual sweet spot right in the middle between passivity
and being retaliatory. And so the Bible reads you have
heard that it was said and I for a knife
and a tooth for a tooth, But I tell you
not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you
on your right cheek, turn the other to him. Also,
if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic,
let him have your coat also. And whoever compels you
to go one mile with him, give them two. Give
to him that asks you, and from him who wants
to borrow from you. Do not turn away. You have
heard it was said you shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies,
Bless those who curse you, do good to those who
hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and
persecute you, that you may be the sons of your
father in heaven. For he makes his son to rise
on the evil and on the good, and sends rain
on the just and on the unjust. For if you
love those who love you, what reward have you? Do
not even the tax collectors the same? And if you
greet your brethren only, what do you more than others?
Do not even the tax collectors. So therefore you shall
be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
So much to say, so little time. I'm imploring the
teachers in the room that will be teaching in a
few days at Church on the subject to be honest,
keep integrity. As you teach the context of this, I
literally cannot do this in just about four or five minutes.
And so let me give you a quick historical context.
In Jesus's days, the scribes and Pharisees had distorted God's
law by applying what they considered to be judicial principles
to personal relationships. The law of retaliation from Exodus chapter
twenty one and verse twenty four, Leviticus twenty four, verse
twenty and Drooteronomy chapter nineteen and verse twenty one was
originally given to prevent excessive revenge and to limit punishment
to fit the crime. It was never meant to personally
endorse revenge. By the first century, however, this principle had
often been used to justify revenge even in private disputes.
Jesus wasn't removing the law, but restoring its true purpose
and moving his followers toward righteousness. And so when the
Bible says that we are not to resist, that word
for resist is not a blanket command against all resistance,
but the kind in retaliation. There are times that we
must resist. We must get up, stand up, stand up
for our rights. There are times that we have to resist.
We must resist injustice. We must resist when people are
taking advantage and oppress of and oppressing others. God actually
said it, like, is this the kind of fast that
I endorse? That you just walk around with your sad
face and make it look like you're fasting, and you're
still oppressing people. You're not setting anyone free, You're still
underpaying people who do good work for you. Stop all
of that, and by the way, keep the Sabbath holy
at the same time, and then I will accept your fast.
And so that is the blessing of the kind of
resistance that we must have. We should resist all injustice,
resist all wickedness, resist all that is not like God.
And so the command to love even our enemies reflects
God's character. Jesus was not nullifying civil justice, but redirecting
personal conduct to reflect the Kingdom of God. I remember
a young a young woman rest in well. I shouldn't
say rest in peace. She is resting in peace. But
a young woman acts during a Bible study I was
teaching in Trench Town here in Jamaica, and she said, Uncle,
if somebody comes into my home and they break in
and they are about to do something evil or violent?
Am I supposed to just take it? And I said, listen,
I for an I means not I for an arm.
That's what it means. It means that if somebody is
leaving you, you don't run after them and try to
beat them up or kill them. You let the law
deal with that. But if there is a time that
you have to, you have to resist that evil and
defend yourself. Do not go overboard. Do not go overboard.
Whatever force is necessary to deal with the particular conflict
and get up out of there. That is what is necessary.
But when people go overboard or chase and do retribution,
that's when we get outside of the law of God.
And so the focus shifts from legality to grace and transformation.
So let's go with a few concepts here. Give up
the right to get even, give up the right to
get even. It's natural to want justice, that's what we desire.
But in personal relationships, Jesus teaches us to let go
of the payback and pursue peace instead. We're talking about
personal relationships. I need you to get the context. Don't
write me about the difference between Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King Junior like, we don't need to go there.
You understand so, so it's we must not retaliate when
we are hurt. We need to ask what would love do?
Instead of striking back, you step up and choose mercy.
We're talking about relationships. Number two, Be generous without calculation.
Jesus says, if someone takes your coat, offer a cloak
to he's addressing. Free them from material attachment and trust
and trust in God's provision. Loosen your grip when asks
for help. Don't assess the fairness in air quotes, but
respond with kingdom generosity, and then, of course, love your enemies.
Actively move or make excuse me a list of people,
oh who have wronged you? Uh oh, Start praying for
them daily. This reorients your heart and places judgment in
the hands of God. You think God loves his enemies,
we were once enemies until He made us friends.
Speaker 1: Peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we
cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,