When it comes to engaging with the state and unbelievers, life in the new covenant is also different than the old.
Under the old covenant there was no command to hate your enemy, where your enemy refers to a personal rival or a fellow believer. However, when it comes to unbelievers who dwelled in the land, then we have several commands that fit this category. Deuteronomy 7:2 is one example, in where the Lord says that no mercy must be shown to the Canaanites. Likewise in Deuteronomy 23:1–25, God’s people are told that they must not seek the peace of the Ammonite or the Moabite. Perhaps the clearest call to hatred comes at the end of Psalm 139:1–24, where the psalmist prays for God to help him hate those who hate the Lord.
Why is there this animosity toward certain enemies? Why the command to hate? It has to do with life in the land of Canaan. Canaan was meant to be a picture of Eden. With God dwelling in the midst of his people, just like heaven there is no room for unbelievers in the presence of God. No rooms for idols, lots of laws to ensure the people are clean, and sins are covered so that Israel is not sent into exile. In this system, if someone did not worship the Lord, he was expected to leave the land or he would be killed. Idolaters were not to be tolerated in the land of Israel.
The biblical promise and expectation were that if Israel did this, if they were obedient to the terms of the old covenant, then the nations around them would take notice (Deuteronomy 28:10). The nations see the blessings that come from living in God’s presence/fearing the Lord. They would desire the same and come to learn more about the Lord conscious of the fact that he alone is God and tolerates no rivals.
In the time of Jesus’ ministry, the old covenant was still in force but the people of Israel did not rule the land. Politically they were subject to the Romans. They were required to carry the burden of soldiers. They could not exact the laws as they did in the past. Now comes Jesus and he makes it clear that he is not re-establishing those laws. He is not here to lead a rebellion. He is not a Messiah who overthrows Roman rule to restore an earthly kingdom. No, his kingdom is spiritual, and in the new covenant citizens of his kingdom must submit to civil authorities and pray for them.
The shadows and signs of temple and land have come to an end, and in our fight against evil our weapons are not those for physical combat. Persecuted and hated by the state, we submit as far as godliness allows and we pray. As a body of believers, as individuals, we seek the good of our persecutors. We call on God to bring about their conversion, we do not chase them from the land.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’