The following is a sermon developed with the assistance of AI. Much of it is a very brief summary of the page on Amos 9.

To download the following in a docx (MS-Word) file, click here: Is it Proper to Hate or Love Your Enemy

🕊️ Sermon: Is it Proper to Hate or Love Your Enemy?

Texts: Amos 9:11–12; Matthew 5:43–44; Leviticus 19:18

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Introduction

From the time of Amos until today, one of the hardest questions humanity faces is this: what do we do with our enemies? Nations rise and fall, conflicts never seem to end, and in the name of religion people sometimes justify hating those who oppose them. But is hatred the proper response? Or does God call us to something higher?

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1. What the Scriptures Actually Say

Amos, an 8th-century prophet, declared that God would one day rebuild the fallen “booth of David.” The earliest Hebrew manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls, Masoretic Text) tell us that Israel would “yārash” Edom — a word that can mean possess or inherit.

• If read as possess, it sounds like conquest — taking enemies by force.
• If read as inherit, it points to God granting nations as a gift, not necessarily through bloodshed.

The Torah itself never commanded hatred. On the contrary, Leviticus 19:18 teaches:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.”

But some Jewish groups later added a human twist. At Qumran, a sectarian community taught in its Community Rule:

“…to love all the sons of light … and to hate all the sons of darkness.”

It was this mindset — love insiders, hate outsiders — that shaped parts of the culture by the time of Jesus.

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2. Jesus’ Radical Reversal

Jesus addressed this head-on in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43–44)

Notice carefully: the “hate your enemy” part was never in God’s Law. It was an addition, a distortion. Jesus corrects it.

Why? Because hatred, even when religiously justified, always leads to cycles of violence. The Jewish revolt of 66 CE, fueled by hopes of conquest over “Edom” (Rome), ended in disaster — Jerusalem burned, the Temple destroyed, countless lives lost.

Jesus foresaw this danger. He offered a different path: reconciliation, mercy, praying for enemies. This was not weakness, but the true strength of God’s kingdom.

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3. Amos 9 in the Light of Love

Read holistically, Amos 9 ends not with conquest but with abundance:

• Vineyards planted.
• Mountains dripping with wine.
• Israel replanted securely, never uprooted again.

The booth of David is restored not through endless war, but through shalom. The phrase “nations called by my name” points not to their annihilation but to their transformation under God’s rule.

Early Jewish followers of Jesus, like James at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), saw this clearly. They quoted Amos 9 from the Septuagint:

“…that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name.”

For them, the fulfillment was not in Israel conquering enemies but in Gentiles joining Israel’s God through Messiah.

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4. A Word to Our Time — and to All Communities of Faith

Today, the temptation to hate enemies is alive and well. In the Middle East, in global politics, in personal lives — hatred is often dressed up as righteousness. Some modern rabbis and leaders still interpret Amos 9:12 in terms of conquest: Israel will one day subdue its enemies. Others wisely see it as a vision of nations turning to God in peace.

The lesson of history is sobering: when leaders misapply Scripture to justify hatred and war, the result is destruction. But when God’s people embrace the path of love, reconciliation, and prayer even for those who oppose them, the booth of David is truly rebuilt.

This message speaks not only to Christians but also to Jews today:

• The covenant people of Israel were chosen to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6).
• That light is dimmed when hatred prevails.
• But it shines brightly when love and justice flow.

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Conclusion

So, is it proper to hate your enemy? According to sectarian tradition, perhaps. According to history, it is disastrous. But according to the Torah, to Amos’ true vision, and to Jesus’ correction: No. It is proper to love your enemy.

Because in the end, God Himself rebuilds what is broken. He restores the booth of David not by destroying enemies, but by calling them by His name. And when that happens, the final word is not hatred, but peace; not conquest, but abundance; not uprooting, but eternal planting in God’s land.

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Final Call

Let us then live as children of light — rejecting hatred, praying for enemies, and embodying the reconciliation that alone fulfills Amos’ vision. In doing so, we prepare for the day when God’s booth is raised among us, and His kingdom of peace never ends.