Getting Revenge

I don’t know about you but for me some of the toughest teaching in the Bible is about treating our enemies with love and care rather than revenge.

We live in a world that believes it is the strong thing to seek and get revenge for wrongs done.  We see it on the news as people exit a court room and comment on the sentence given to the person who harmed them or their loved one. 

There was a successful TV series that ran for a number of years by the name of “Revenge” and had a woman returning to a place where she’d been wrong years before in order to get revenge on individuals and families.

Jesus clearly taught us about revenge in His most famous sermon – the Sermon on the Mount.  You can find His Words in chapter 5 of Matthew.

That same message is given just as clearly to the people in the early church in the book of Romans.  See if you are not challenged, as I am, by these words:

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:17-21

What is God’s plan when it comes to wrongs done to us:

1.         Never take revenge

2.        Always be honourable and live in peace with everyone

3.         Do kind things for you enemies

4.        Overcome evil by doing good

5.        Trust God to take proper revenge and pay back those who have wronged us

Loving God, that’s not an easy course of action to take when we’ve been hurt and let down and experience the effects of someone else’s wrong. 

Help us today to identify those we are holding in our hearts for whom we would love to see vengeance given -whether we could give it or some other person or circumstance could bring it to them.

Forgive us for these grudges we continue to hold against them.  Help us to hand them over to You.  You know all the underlying circumstances.  You know whether there is genuine remorse or not and You know what will help that person reform and do things according to Your will going forward.

Help us to do what these words from the Bible tell us, and to leave them to You for Your righteous vengeance. 

Give us your comfort and healing as we continue on.  Amen

So, let’s hear and obey our loving God to never take revenge but to leave that to the righteous anger of God.