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Nancy ±·²¹²Ô³¦²â’s Comments (group member since Mar 02, 2023)



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Compassion (1 new)
Apr 25, 2023 09:27AM

168034 [14] And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.� Deuteronomy 21:13�14

Compassion is one of Judaism’s highest values and this caring concern and empathy for our fellow human beings is considered one of the three distinguishing marks of being Jewish.

As a friend of Israel, you, like me, are probably frustrated by the slanted media coverage of Israel. The media loves to portray Israel as an aggressive enemy of her Arab neighbors, but that picture is very far from the truth.

For example, even though Israel is officially at war with Syria ever since Syria’s civil war began a few years ago, Israel has been quietly treating injured Syrians, who are often secretly brought across the border to Israeli hospitals. What’s more, Israel treats the injured at its own expense.

One Israeli hospital administrator said, “For us they are patients who need immediate help or they will die. And it makes no difference where they come from, or whether they’re combatants or civilians.�
The Truest Test of Compassion

Treating our enemies with kindness is part of our tradition, going all the way back to the Torah itself. We read in the Book of Deuteronomy, “[13] And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
[14] And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her..�

According to the Torah, a woman captured in war was to be given 30 days to mourn her family, and only after that time, if the soldier truly wished to make her his wife, could he then marry her. Otherwise, she was to be set free.

A few verses later we learn that an Israelite found guilty of a capital offense must be put to death. The Jewish sages comment that these two laws are side by side to teach us that we are to treat all people fairly. Everyone, even our enemies, must be treated with justice and with mercy.

Treating our enemies with kindness is the truest test of compassion. We need to forgive those who have hurt us, but the Bible encourages us to go even further. We are to help, assist, and treat our former “enemies� with kindness and dignity.
Your Turn:
Is there someone in your life who has hurt you in the past? Consider how you can let go of that painful memory and embrace the person with love.
From
Mar 23, 2023 08:51AM

168034 The doctrine of the Nicolataines:
Nicolataines Revelation Ch. 2
This practice was basically, fornication and adultery. They believed that all married women should be common.
Nicolaism (also Nicholaism, Nicolaitism, Nicolationism, or Nicolaitanism) was an early Christian sect mentioned twice in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. The adherents were called Nicolaitans, Nicolaitanes, or Nicolaites. They were considered heretical by the mainstream early Christian church. According to Revelation 2:6 and 15,[1] they were known in the cities of Ephesus and Pergamum. In this chapter, the church at Ephesus is endorsed for "[hating] the works of the Nicolaites, which I also hate"; and the church in Pergamos is rebuked: "So thou hast also some [worshiping in their midst] who hold the teaching of the Nicolaites".
The Ephesian believers, however, were not duped. Nor were they so naïve as to believe that Christian charity can tolerate such false teaching. Note also the contrast: they “bear� trials and tribulations for Christ’s sake (v. 3) but they cannot “bear� the company of these evil men (vv. 2,6). They endure persecution, but not perversion.

(6) There are many lessons here, but one in particular stands out: Jesus hates moral and theological compromise. Any appeal to grace to justify sin is repugnant to our Lord. Any attempt to rationalize immorality by citing the “liberty� we have in Christ is abhorrent to him and must be to us. True Christian love is never expressed by the tolerance of wickedness, whether it be a matter of what one believes or how one behaves.
The Christians in Pergamum had sacrificed the ethical purity of their congregation on the altar of “love� and for the sake of some nebulous “peace� they feared to lose. Purity often comes at an extremely high price. But we must be prepared to pay it. Confrontation is never pleasant, but it often reaps a bountiful harvest. By all means, pursue love, but not at the expense of truth or in such a way that overt sin is left to fester and spread in the body of Christ.
This also refers to the extremism that Christians will go to sometimes, to "justify" their sin, by abusing the "Christian liberty" they have in Jesus. Men (and women) who look at pornography, are sinning and in danger of hellfire, if they do not repent.