The most important angel in the Bible isn’t Michael or Gabriel, it’s an angel whose unknown name is “too wonderful.” He goes by the title, “The Angel of the Lord,” and he spoke to various people all throughout the Old Testament: Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Balaam, Gideon, Samson’s parents, Elijah, Zechariah, Habakkuk, and more. His interaction with Joshua, the leader of God’s elected nation, Israel, is especially intruiging:
“Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” asked Joshua.
“No,” replied the angel.
Not the answer I saw coming. Then again, since I agree with the theologians that believe this angel is the pre-incarnate Jesus, it makes sense. After all, Jesus was always pointing us to love our neighbors.
Which ones?
The ones we have.
What if we don’t like them?
Love, bless, and pray for your enemies, too.
Why should we?
Because God makes it rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Because while we were still God’s enemies, Jesus died for us to reconcile us to God.
It’s not always easy to love our enemies and figuring out how to do so varies from situation to situation. But when we love another person, we love the image of God. When we love those who persecute us, we embody the self-sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross. When we love our enemies, we point them toward the God who is love and the love that is God. When we invest love where it’s not expected, we grow the strong seeds of Heaven here in the soil.
And you never know what those seeds will look like when they finally come to blossom. So hold fast, and love your enemies.
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