Kindness to enemies is not to degenerate into sympathy with or indifference to ungodliness.
God is kind. God is terrible. When he riseth up against sin to punish it openly, who—who can stand? The repeated injunctions in this book, of kindness to enemies, the prohibitions against private revenge, etc; should effectually guard any against attributing to Moses any incitement of the people to revengeful retaliation. He utters a prophecy, as a prophet. In Exodus 17:16, the LXX. read, ἐν χειρὶ κρυφαίᾳ, κ. τ. λ.% "by an unseen hand the Lord will war against Amalek." In Numbers 24:20, Balaam foretells Amalek's doom. In 1 Samuel 15:1-35; the execution of judgment on Amalek is recorded; and thus is the meaning of our present paragraph explained.
Note:
1. It is a very dangerous thing for a nation to harass or injure the people of God.
2. Such a nation may seem to prosper a while, but judgment is "laid up in store."
3. The retribution will come sooner or later in God's wonder-working providence. "Their fees shall slide in due time."
4. Whatever sympathy we may rightly feel for individual sufferers, the fact that God will ultimately avenge his people's wrongs may fill us with grateful joy.