Vengeance Is Mine Says the Lord
Summary
We naturally want to punish others for hurts we suffer, but that isn’t our responsibility. Our warped judgment and shared guilt disqualify us from administering payback. David’s restraint and Abigail’s counsel illustrate why we should trust God and avoid a burdened conscience. Scripture describes God as the righteous Judge. Only He punishes wrongdoing justly. Rather than trying to do His job, we can pray persistently for offenders and entrust the wrongs we suffer to Him alone.
The Impulse to Retaliate
The temptation to punish those who have hurt us is as natural as blinking. Our instant impression is that a punch in the gut, literal or figurative, calls for at least two return punches so they suffer more than we did.
Remembering Jesus’s Command
Pastor or not, payback is still my reflexive first thought, and probably yours too. We forget what Jesus said about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), even if we’ve read it 100 times. While we are reeling, Jesus’s command doesn't seem like the best response.
Restraint and Persistent Prayer
As I have matured, I don’t strike back immediately (I used to), but turning the other cheek still isn’t in my playbook yet. I don’t retaliate, but the urge remains. For me, only persistent prayer for the offender eventually removes the ongoing urge to strike back.
Payback Is Not Our Job
We aren’t qualified to avenge the wrongs we have suffered. We don’t accurately calculate the right amount of payback. Like nations trying to repay injuries, we tend to overdo it. Proverbs 20:22 tells us payback isn’t our job.
Our Shared Need for Mercy
Why? One reason is that we are unqualified to judge others. We do the same things we judge and condemn others for (Romans 2:1). Our words and deeds injure and hurt others. We are not lily-white innocent victims. We have done our share of offending. As crusty offenders, we want God’s mercy and grace, not His condemnation. Those offending us need that also.
David’s Restraint and Abigail’s Counsel
David believed God would avenge the wrongs King Saul had done to him and refused payback when he had the opportunity (1 Samuel 24:12). Abigail added another reason not to retaliate. She alerted David that avenging burdens the conscience (1 Samuel 25:31).
The Burden on Conscience
We might forget Jesus’s words while we are bleeding physically or emotionally. But our consciences remember and continue reminding us if we inflicted payback pain.
Vengeance Is Mine Says the Lord
God avenges (Psalm 94:1). Indeed, only a holy God qualifies to be an avenger (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30). The Judge of all the earth always does what is right (Genesis 18:25). We can’t make the same claim.
Our Distorted Perspective
We have a warped view of reality. We see others' wrongs clearly, but not our own. They see ours but not theirs. None of us are perfectly righteous. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of revenge.
Righteousness through Christ
Righteous indignation requires genuine righteousness. Our righteousness is real, but it is Jesus’s righteousness credited to us by grace through faith in Him (Romans 4:24). Our own righteousness is one or two stars out of five.
Punishment That Fits the Wrong
God punishes all wrongdoing justly. He doesn’t, so to speak, impose the death penalty for jaywalking. The punishment fits the crime precisely, weighing both behavior and motives.
Judgment for Covenant Unfaithfulness
When Israel didn’t obey His covenant, He promised to avenge it through plague and captivity (Leviticus 26:25). He avenged Himself on Judah, punishing them because of their spiritual adultery (Jeremiah 5:9). His disciplinary actions would teach them a lesson His words couldn’t (Ezekiel 5:13).
Justice for God’s Servants
He avenged David (Psalm 18:47) and the blood of His prophets and servants (2 Kings 9:7). He will avenge the shedding of the blood of Christian martyrs (Revelation 6:10).
Revenge’s Bitter Aftertaste
Although revenge seems sweet, like dark roast coffee, it leaves a bitter aftertaste. If we retaliate, we assume God’s role, and we will regret it.
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