“Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.” Deuteronomy 32:35

Vengeance

Not long ago, I was physically attacked by a neighbor’s pit bull. I managed to fight him off in the course of five minutes with my walking stick, but just barely. I was left shaken as a sort of mind-numbing shock settled over me, and I tried to process what happened.

I’d love to report that I walked out of that incident with a “gold star” for Christian response…uhh, no. The range of emotions and adrenalin were off the chart for days. The fearful, angry, disbelieving, distrustful, and yes, vengeful thoughts, raced through my head like a runaway freight train. Why hadn’t the owners been responsible to keep their dog locked up? Why did God allow this to happen? Why, why, why? And really, this is a minor grievance compared to some folks who lose loved ones in senseless violence or accidents. Seriously, what do they do with that?

Perhaps God allowed me to experience this small (in the scheme of things) injustice to get a tiny glimpse of what the gravely injured folks in this world are trying to make sense of. For a time, nothing makes sense, and doubt and unbelief try to take root. Then the enemy’s lies bombard us from every angle. What and who will we believe?

Well, for the Christian, the only thing that makes any sense at all is what God says in Deuteronomy: “Vengeance is Mine (God’s)….” Not that there isn’t legitimate legal recourse for terrible things that happen, but the Lord looks deeper than that. It’s always, always, always our hearts that He is tenderly tending.

Vengeance is an ugly emotion in the hands of mere man. It will twist us up and in the end, that anger brings a type of death and darkness to our souls. Like the slime it is, it creeps and slithers, infecting every single thing (and person) we come in contact with. Jesus says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you…” (Matthew 5:44). That’s a tall order, but one I know Jesus will work in us.

Has a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, a church or a pastor hurt us? The possibilities are endless to start the process of vengeance in our hearts. We may not physically seek revenge, but do we secretly say, “Well, they’ll get theirs!” Or do we look for ways to tear a brother or sister down with our mouths? Ouch.

“Oh, dear Jesus, shut my mouth! Help me speak blessing to those who hurt me. Help us have forgiveness and compassion and look deeper into the reasons our fellow man is hurting. And then, pray, and pray some more. Amen.”