VictoryinJesus
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- Jan 26, 2017
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first, thank you for the response. I know I can be difficult. One reason I come here, not the only reason, but to test if I have beliefs that don’t hold up and need to come down. So far, not many claiming the other has given much to consider.In fact, the insinuation is that in both cases the one making the request knew their persecutors would likely NOT be forgiven, so they were seeking to intercede on their behalf. What these prayers do is demonstrate the heart of love even towards one's enemies. But the final decision rests with God,
This above, we agree on.
When seen in that light, the prayers of "Father, forgive them" and "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" become essentially prayers for their repentance, and for their eyes to be opened to see what they are doing from God's perspective.
point has always been God will give His Son Jesus Christ and Stephen also As a child of God what they ask for. We get caught up on Gods coming to redeem (repay) the Punishment of the curse but seldom think on pure things of His coming to redeem, recompense, reward the blessings of His Spirit with His people. We speak of evil works being repaid yet never see the Works of the Spirit are greater Than the curse. Not even sure what transpires in the following passage(maybe you know?) but 5 says (for Me) how God is a God of the impossible.
Deuteronomy 23:4-5 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. [5] Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
To me it says more in ...when you came out of the world they met you not with bread ...foreshadowing this bread: John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
and they gave no water in the way...foreshadowing the Living water where Christ stood and cried it was offered to all who thirst.
Then “they hired against thee Balaam ...to curse thee.”
^we don’t want to hire Balaam to curse. (Have to consider WHO stood in “the way” of Balaam.)
NEVERTHELESS the Lord thy God would not hear men unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
To me says when they persecute you and curse you ...the curse is nothing of value and goes nowhere (John 9:33), (Acts 5:38-39)but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
May sound crazy but Christ did warn...you gave Me no bread...you gave Me no water to drink. If you do it not to the least, you do it not unto Me.
Nehemiah 13:2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.