Before getting into examples from scripture of what selfless love looks like and how we are to walk in it, I would like to say that all throughout the scriptures we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves and be selfless and not to hate, so we will start with that reminder.
Philippians 2:3 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And do nothing in strife or in vain esteem; but, with humbleness of mind, let each regard his neighbor as better than himself.”
Mathew 22:37-39 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And YESHUA said to him, that you “You should love Master YAHWEH your ELOHIM with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind.” This is the first and the greatest Commandment. And the second is like it. That ‘you should love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang Torah and prophets.”
Leviticus 19:18 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“You shall not bear any enmity against the children of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am YAHWEH.”
Testament of Benjamin 3:3-5 (12 Patriarchs)
“Fear YAHWEH, and love your neighbor; and even though the spirits of Beliyya’al (sons of worthlessness) claim to afflict you with every evil, they will not have dominion over you, even as they did not have it over Joseph my brother. How many men desired to kill him, and ELOHIM shielded him! For he that fears ELOHIM and loves his neighbor cannot be struck by the spirit of Beliyya’al, being shielded by the fear of ELOHIM. Nor can he be ruled over by the device of men or beasts, for he is helped by YAHWEH through the love which he has towards his neighbor.”
Testament of Rueben 6:9
“I call to witness the ELOHIM of the heavens, that you do truth, each one, to his neighbor; and to entertain love, each for his brother.”
So, we are commanded to love and not to hate and we know YESHUA said to bless those who curse you and pray for those who persecute you and to love your enemies, so the point is to love and love some more. There are warnings for those who hate their brothers.
Testament of Benjamin 7:3-5 (12 Patriarchs)
“Therefore Cain was also delivered over to seven vengeances by ELOHIM, for in every hundred years YAHWEH brought one plague upon him. And when he was two hundred years old he began to suffer, and in the nine-hundredth year he was destroyed. For on account of Abel his brother, he was judged with all the evils; but Lamech with seventy times seven. Because those who are like Cain, who are envious and hate their brother forever, they will be punished with the same judgement.”
1 John 3:13-15 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“Not like Cain who was of the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he slay him, but because his own works were evil and those of his brother righteous? Verse 15 “For everyone that hates his brother is a man-slayer; and you know that no man-slayer can have eternal life abiding in him.”
Testament of Gad 4:1-7
“Therefore my children, beware of hatred; for it works lawlessness even against YAHWEH Himself. For it will not hear the words of His commands concerning the loving of one’s neighbor, and it sins against ELOHIM.” Verse 7 “For the spirit of hatred works together with Satan, through hastiness, in all things to men’s death…”
Testament of Gad 5:1-3
“Therefore, hatred is evil, for it constantly mates with lying, speaking against the truth; and it makes small things to be great, and causes the light to be darkness, and calls the sweet bitter, and teaches slander, and kindles wrath, and stirs up war, and violence and all covetousness; it fills the heart with evils and devilish poison. Therefore, I say these things to you from experience, my children, that you may drive hatred away, which is of the devil, and cling to the love of ELOHIM.”
The perfect example of selfless love is YESHUA
Mathew 20:27-28
“And he who among you desires to be first, let him be a servant to you. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give Himself as a ransom for the sake of many.”
YESHUA came to serve and not be served, and a servant is not greater than His Master, so He gave us the blueprint. We are to consider others better than ourselves, just as Paul quoted in Philippians 2:3.
The greatest selfless act of love is found in YESHUA the Son of YAHWEH, Who gave His life for all of us and was without sin. Dying when you committed no wrong simply because you love the world is unfathomable love, yet an example left for us to learn from. It’s amazing life to know that our King died for us!
1 Peter 2:21-23
“For to this were you called; because the Messiah also died for us and left us this pattern that you should walk in His steps. He did no sin; neither was any deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile, and He suffered but didn’t threaten, but committed His cause to the Righteous Judge.”
YESHUA was innocent and sinless, yet He loved despite what others did to Him and He suffered greatly for the world. We are called to walk in love just like Him and to have a selfless attitude towards others.
Luke 23:34 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And YESHUA was saying, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
John 15:12-13 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“This is My Commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. There is no love that is greater than this that a many lay down his life for the sake of his friends.”
Isaiah 53:1-12 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of YAHWEH revealed? For He grew up before him like an infant and like a root out of the dry ground; He had no form nor comeliness; and when we saw that He had no beauty, we denied Him. He is despised. He is despised and humbled of men; a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we turned our faces away from Him; we despised Him and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our sorrows and carried our griefs; but we considered Him stricken, smitten of ELOHIM, and afflicted. But He was slain for our sins, He was afflicted for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have strayed; we have turned everyone to his own way; and YAHWEH has laid on Him the sins of us all. He drew near and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; and as an ewe before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who can describe His anguish? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; and some of the evil men of my people struck him. He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, although He had DONE NO INIQUITY, NEITHER WAS THERE ANY DECEIT IN HIS MOUTH. Yet it pleased YAHWEH to afflict Him; He has put Him to grief; He LAID DOWN HIS LIFE AS AN OFFERING FOR SIN, that posterity may see, and His days prolonged, and the pleasure of YAHWEH shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the reward of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied with the knowledge; HE SHALL JUSTIFY THE RIGHTEOUS; FOR HE IS A SERVANT OF MANY, AND HE SHALL BEAR THEIR SINS. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He has poured out His life to death; and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bore the sins of many, and died the death of transgressors.”
2 Corinthians 5:15 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And He died for all, that they who live should not live to themselves but to Him who dies for them and rose again.”
Romans 5:6-12 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And if at this time, on account of our weakness, Messiah died for the sinners: For almost NEVER WOULD SOMEONE DIE FOR A WICKED MAN, BUT FOR AN UPRIGHT MAN SOME MIGHT DIE. ELOHIM has here manifested His love towards us. Because, if when we were sinners, Messiah died for us, how much more will we know be made righteous by His blood and be rescued from wrath by Him? For if, when we were enemies, ELOHIM was reconciled with us by the death of His Son, how much more will we, in His reconciliation, live by His life? And not only so, but we also rejoice in ELOHIM by means of our Master YESHUA the Messiah through whom we have now received the reconciliation. As by means of one man, sin entered into the world; and, by means of sin, death; and so death passed up all sons of men inasmuch as they have all sinned.”
Test of Benjamin 3:8 (Benjamin recounting Jacob speaking to Joseph)
“In you the prophecy of heaven will be fulfilled, that a blameless one will be delivered up for lawless men, and a sinless one will die for unrighteous men.”
Examples of selflessness and love
Ezra
We see an example of how Ezra hated no one, but rather was always crying out for mercy on behalf on his people to YAHWEH, because Ezra was selfless and cared about them. Let’s examine a part in 2 Esdras how he asks if those who were righteous would pray and intercede for others on the day of judgement after YAHWEH explained to Ezra what would happen to the souls of men after they died.
2 Esdras 7:102-111
“I answered and said, “If I have found favor in Your sight, show further to me, Your servant, whether on the day of judgment the righteous will be able to intercede for the unrighteous or to entreat the Most High for them, fathers for sons or sons for fathers, brothers for brothers, relatives for their kinsmen, or friends for friends.” He answered me and said, “Since you have found favor in my sight, I will show you this also. The day of judgment is decisive and displays to all the seal of truth. Just as now a father does not send his son, or a son his father, or a master his servant, or a friend his dearest friend, not to be ill or sleep or eat or be healed in his stead, so no one shall ever pray for another then, neither shall anyone lay a burden on another; for then everyone shall bear his own righteousness and unrighteousness.” I answered and said, “how then do we find that first Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Moses for our ancestors who sinned in the desert, and Joshua after him for Yisra’el in the days of Achan, and Samuel in the days of Saul, and David for the plague of the people, and Solomon for those in the sanctuary, and Elijah for those who received the rain, and for the one who was dead, that he might live, and Hezekiah for the people in the days of Sennacherib, and many others prayed for many? If therefore the righteous have prayed for the unrighteous now, when corruption has increased and unrighteousness has multiplied, why will it not be so then as well?”
2 Baruch 85:1-2
“Furthermore, know, then, that in former times and to generations of old our ancestors had righteous helpers and prophets and holy men. But we were in our land, and they helped us when we sinned, and they interceded on our behalf with Him who made us, because they trusted in their works. And the Mighty One heard them and forgave us.”
Ezra mentioned many of our ancestors who interceded for others in his prayer, mainly the righteous for the unrighteous or their selfless acts regarding others and I will cover some of those examples in another section. But as for Ezra’s prayer, YAHWEH then goes on to explain to Ezra how the judgement will be perfect and how the strong prayed for the weak, however the context is that we can see Ezra’s heart for the people even those who have sinned. Also, before Ezra was told that he would be taken up, he was concerned about those who were left behind that they would not have the Torah to follow and would therefore be lost.
2 Esdras 14:13-22
“Now, therefore, set your house in order, and reprove your people; comfort the lowly among them, and instruct those that are wise. And now renounce the life that is corruptible, and put away from you mortal thoughts; cast away from you the burdens of man, and divest yourself now of your weak nature, and lay to one side the thoughts that are most grievous to you, and hasten to escape from these times. For evils worse than those which you have now seen happen shall be done hereafter. For the weaker the world becomes through old age, the more shall evils be multiplied among its inhabitants. For truth shall go farther away, and falsehood shall come near. For the eagle which you saw in the vision is already hastening.” Then I answered and said, “Let me speak in Your presence, YAHWEH. For behold, I will go, as You have commanded me, and I will reprove the people who are now living; but who will warn those who will be born hereafter? For the world lies in darkness (breaking Torah), and its inhabitants are without light (Proverbs 6:23 “The command is a lamp and the Torah a light”). For Your Torah has been burned, and so no one knows the things which have been done or will be done by You. If, then, I have found favor before You, send the Holy Spirit into me, and I will write everything that has happened in the world from the beginning, the things which were written in Your Torah, that men may be able to find the path, and that those who wish to live in the last days may live.”
How many people would be concerned about those who are left behind if they were told that they were righteous enough to be taken without dying? Most of us would be too excited to leave this earth and leave the burdens of this world, but Ezra was concerned about the world that they knew the truth of the Torah, this is a selfless act of love.
Abraham
Genesis 13:8-10 (After the shepherds of Abraham and Lot argued)
“And Abram said to Lot, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds; for we are brethren. Behold the whole land is before you choose the left hand, then I will choose the right hand; or if you depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the land of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before YAHWEH destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of ELOHIM like the land of Egypt at the entrance of Zoan. Then Lot chose for himself all the land of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; thus they separated one brother from the other.”
Even though YAHWEH made His promises to Abraham, Abraham was still selfless to let Lot choose the best of the land to dwell in because he did not want to cause strife between brothers, it was a selfless act of love.
Genesis 18:20-33
“And YAHWEH said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has come before me and their sins are very grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to their cry which has come before me; and if not, I will know. So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before YAHWEH. And Abraham drew near and said, wilt You in Your anger destroy the righteous with the sinners? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You in Your anger destroy it, and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in it? Far be it from Thee to do such a thing as this, to slay the innocent with the guilty, far be it from Thee, O You Judge of the whole earth! Such a judgment should never be carried out. And YAHWEH said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole country for their sake. And Abraham answered and said, Behold, I have ventured to speak before YAHWEH, and yet I am but dust and ashes; suppose there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; will You destroy the whole city for the lack of the five men? And He said, If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it. And Abraham spoke to him and said, suppose there shall be forty found there? And He said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty. Then Abraham said, oh let not YAHWEH be displeased and I will speak: Suppose there shall thirty be found there? And He said, I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold, I have ventured to speak before YAHWEH; suppose there shall be twenty found there? And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. And he said, oh, let not YAHWEH be displeased, and I will speak only once more; suppose ten shall be found there? And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. And YAHWEH went His way when He had finished communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.”
Abraham again shows compassion and love towards Lot because he was dwelling in Sodom after separating from Abraham; and he even petitions to YAHWEH to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there were 10 righteous in the land.
Moses
Exodus 32:7-14, 30-35 Aramaic Peshitta (When the children of Yisra’el began to worship the golden calf)
“And YAHWEH said to Moses, go down, get away from here; for your people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly from the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and have sacrificed to it, and said, this is your elohim, O Yisra’el, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And YAHWEH said to Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may be kindled against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation. But Moses prayed before YAHWEH his ELOHIM and said, not so, O YAHWEH, let not Your wrath kindle against Your people whom You has brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand. Why should the Egyptians say, it was for their injury He did bring them out to slay them in the mountains and to consume them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Rest from Your fierce anger and be reconciled concerning the evil deed of Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Yisra’el, Your servants, to whom You did swear by Your own self and didst say to them, I will multiply your descendants as the stars in the heaven, and all the land that I have spoken of I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever. And YAHWEH was reconciled concerning the evil which He had purposed to do to His people.” Verse 30-35 “And it came to pass on the next day, Moses said to the people, you have sinned this great sin; and now I will go up to YAHWEH; perhaps He may forgive your transgressions. So Moses returned to YAHWEH and said, I beseech You, O YAHWEH ELOHIM, truly this people have sinned a great sin and have made for themselves elohim of gold. But now, if You wilt, forgive their sins; and if not, blot me, I pray You, out of Your book which You hast written. And YAHWEH said to Moses, whosoever has sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. Therefore now go, lead the people to the place where I tell you; behold, my angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish I will visit their sins upon them. And YAHWEH smote the people because they worshipped the calf which Aaron made.”
Moses not only prayed for YAHWEH not to destroy the Yisra’elites but also put his own salvation on the line by saying for YAHWEH to blot him out of the book of life for their sake. This is sacrificial, selfless act of love for the sake of others because YAHWEH said He would make Moses into a great nation, but Moses cared about YAHWEH’s Name and seeing His plan for Yisra’el be accomplished.
David
1 Chronicles 21:7-17 (After David conducted the census)
“And YAHWEH was displeased with this thing, because David had numbered Yisra’el. And David said to YAHWEH, I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing; but now, take away the iniquity of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly. And David arose early in the morning, and the word of YAHWEH came to Gad, the prophet, saying, thus says YAHWEH: I offer you three disasters; choose one of them, that I may do it to you. So Gad the prophet came to David and said to him, thus says YAHWEH: choose for yourself. Either three years of famine in the land or three months to be defeated before your enemies while they shall pursue you and rule over you or three days the sword of YAHWEH in Yisra’el. Now therefore advise what answer you will give to Him who sent me to you. And David said to Gad, I am in a great distress; let ME BE DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF YAHWEH; for his mercies are very great; but let me not be delivered into the hand of men. So YAHWEH sent pestilence upon Yisra’el; and there fell of Yisra’el seventy thousand men. And YAHWEH sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying it, YAHWEH saw and considered it and averted the disaster, and said to the angel that destroyed, you have destroyed a great many, stay now your hand. And the angel of YAHWEH stood by the threshing floor of Aran the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of YAHWEH standing between heaven and earth, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Yisra’el, who were with him clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said to YAHWEH, is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is who have sinned, and the folly which I have committed is great; but as for these INNOCENT SHEEP, what have they done? Let Your hand, O YAHWEH my ELOHIM, be AGAINST ME, and against my father’s house; but the plague cease from the people.”
David asked that the plague be turned against him because it was he that ordered the census and petitioned to spare the innocent sheep. David could have set back and breathed a sigh of relief and said “at least the plague did not fall upon me” however, he was willing to take the punishment and not his brothers, which is another example of an selfless act of love.
Joseph
Genesis 45:4-5
“And Joseph said to his brothers, come near to me; and they came near. And he said to them, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold to the Egyptians. Now do not be grieved, nor displeased with yourselves, that you sold me here; for it was to provide for you that ELOHIM sent me before you.”
Testament of Benjamin 3:6
“For Joseph also begged our dad that he would pray for his brothers, that YAHWEH would not impute sin to them, for whatever evil they had done to him.”
Testament of Simeon 4:4-6
“Now Joseph was a good man, and had the Spirit of ELOHIM within him; being compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but loved me even as the rest of his brothers. Beware, therefore, my children, of all jealousy and envy, and walk in singleness of being and with good heart, keeping in mind Joseph your father’s brother, that ELOHIM may give you also favor and esteem, and blessing upon your heads, even as you saw in Joseph’s case. All his days he did not despise us concerning this thing, but loved us as his OWN BEING, and esteemed us beyond his OWN SONS, and gave us riches, and cattle and fruits.”
Testament of Zebulon 8:1-6
“Therefore, my children, you yourselves should have compassion towards every man with kindness, that YAHWEH also may have compassion and kindness upon you. Because in the last days ELOHIM will send His compassion on the earth, and wherever He finds bowels of kindness He dwells in him. For in the degree in which a man has compassion upon his neighbors, in the same degree has YAHWEH also in him. And when we went down to Egypt, Joseph bore no malice against us. To the ones on guard, you also, my children, approve yourselves without malice, and love one another; do not set down in account, each one of you, evil against his brother. For this breaks unity and divides all families, and troubles the being, and wears away the face.”
Testament of Joseph 17:1-8
“Therefore my children, you see what great things I endured that I would not put my brothers to shame. Therefore you also should love one another, and hide one another’s faults with patience. For ELOHIM delights in the unity of brothers, and in the purpose of a heart that takes pleasure in love. And when my brothers came into Egypt they learned that I had returned their money to them, and I did not rebuke them, and comforted them. And after the death of Jacob my dad I loved them more abundantly, and all things he commanded I did abundantly for them. And I did not show them to be afflicted in even the smallest matter; and all that was in my hand I gave to them. And their children were my children, and my children as their servants; and their life was my life, all their suffering was my suffering, and all their sickness was my infirmity. My land was their land, and their counsel my counsel. And I did not exalt myself among them in arrogance because of my worldly esteem, but I was as one of the least among them.”
Mathew 20:27-28
“And he who among you desires to be first, let him be a servant to you. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give Himself as a ransom for the sake of many.”
1 Peter 4:8
“And above all things, have fervent love one towards another, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
Looking at the righteous acts of YESHUA and our ancestors shows us exactly what selfless acts of love looks like, so remember in all things that you do that you consider others better than yourself and love them unconditionally.
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!