Vengeance According to Scripture
In the wake of the recent bombings of the World Trade Centers and other terrorist attacks, many moral dilemmas have come to the forefront. Can we stand by idly after 5,000 people have been murdered without a cause? Can we forgive the men who ordered these murders, vow to continue murdering and have a history of mass murdering? Are we allowed to return fire? Does God avenge, or do we? Is God judging America, or is He calling America to judge wicked men?
I will state up front that I cannot see any examples in the scripture where we are told to allow a murderer to continue. We are commanded to stand against evil, but with very specific guidelines. If we become like our enemy, how can we be judges against our enemy? If we don’t fight against wickedness, what is the result? We do have many modern history examples. If you look across history, you see one pattern that stands tall. Not one tyrant has plagued the world without the apathy of those who should have stood against him. Hitler rose to power without opposition. Deitrick Bonhoffer was the only pastor in Germany who openly opposed Hitler. Hitler preached hate and used hate to paint a rosy picture of Germany’s glorious future. Where were the Christians? They either sided with Hitler and believed they were enlightened, or they were silent. Hitler rose to power ONLY because he was unopposed until he used his power base to trouble the world. Evil never stays behind its boundaries. If it is allowed, it always spreads.
Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to peace is to stop those whose goal it is to take away peace. Jesus said, ‘blessed are the peacemakers for they shall see God’. Who is the peacemaker? In the glory days of Israel, the warrior King David was used by God to give Israel peace by defeating the troubling nations around them. David killed Goliath and defeated countless enemies of God through battle. Yet David was still a man after God’s heart. It was David who wrote in Psalms, “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace”. He also wrote, “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”. God gives strength to the righteous to stand against evil and establish peace. Peace is not the absence of war. People in fear have no peace. Look back at the great tyrants and murderers in history. Wickedness always grows and spreads as it is tolerated. When wicked men become strong, how do we stand against them without becoming like them?
Whose Vengeance?
Doesn’t the Bible say that vengeance belongs to God? We have all heard or have read the Bible’s command that vengeance belongs to God. However, in Romans 13 we are taught to honor governing authorities and that it is government’s God appointed role to uphold righteousness and judge wickedness. The Bible tells us that authority is appointed by God and this government is God’s minister who executes His judgment and wrath against evildoers. The Bible makes a clear distinction between personal vengeance and governing vengeance.
I do not have the right to place myself in God’s role. I don’t have the right to judge and execute wrath against anyone. Does an individual have the right to execute justice against an evildoer? No. However, a government has been appointed as a minister of that responsibility. If this were not true, then the Bible would be a book of anarchy. Without governing accountability there is no rule of law, and wickedness always abounds. It is irrational and unbiblical to allow evil to oppress and destroy. We also must insure that we are not the ones being judged. In the Bible, we see that God frequently uses wicked authority to judge those who abandon righteousness. Evil only stands when righteousness is abandoned. Before anyone has a right to demand justice, they must first judge themselves.
Take Care of Yourself
We have all heard 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted:
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
The emphasis people put on this passage is almost always on prayer, but we see much more than prayer in this passage. There must be humility. There must be self-examination leading to repentance. We must take care of ourselves before we are in any position to address the sins of an enemy. Where is humility? I keep hearing people say, ‘We are strong; we are united’, but I don’t hear anyone saying, ‘We have sinned; we repent; we need God’s strength’. Most people have lost the ability to see their own sinfulness. Most churches today teach as though it were a sin to point out that we need to deal with sin. Doesn’t preaching against sin heap guilt on people? On the contrary, sin only produces guilt if we refuse to surrender it to Jesus Christ who paid for it on the cross. People feel guilty when they love sin more than God’s mercy. The closer I get to God, the more my sin is exposed and the more freedom I have as I surrender those areas of my life to Jesus. If we are not walking with God, we are separated from God. Before God can hear our prayers, heal our land, and avenge our enemies, we must first allow Him to purify our hearts and also surrender our ways to Him.
How have we sinned? Our nation performs over 60,000 abortions a year. That is over ten times the people killed in both the Trade Centers. How many people sit in front of television and take pleasure in the anti-biblical devaluing that pours through it every day? The United States is also the largest consumer of pornography in the world. The people of America sit idly while any public display of God is rejected, removed, defaced or destroyed. In 1974 prayer was banned from schools, and today we fight in the Supreme Court to allow a moment of silence. It was recently agued before the Supreme Court that if a moment of silence is allowed, kids might pray and that would be unfair to those who don’t. Where is the outrage against those who want to make it illegal to stand on faith?
Before a nation can repent, individuals must repent. I can’t plead mercy for my nation while I am blind to my own sin. Galatians 5 tells us:
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Who is not in need of repentance? We all are under this condemnation until we submit ourselves to Christ. Are we innocent of adultery? Jesus said that those who lust are adulterers in their heart. God does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart. The envious is a thief; hatred is murder; and greed equals idolatry. In the past, our churches taught that we strive toward perfection. Today we tolerate and accept sin. There is little distinction between the church and the world. Practicing sin and accepting sin is no different in God’s eyes. When God judged Israel, He told the prophet Ezekiel to behold all the wicked things the people were doing. Then God called the wicked tyrants around Israel to prepare to attack. Ezekiel 9 picks up:
4 and the LORD said to him [the angel], "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it."
5 To the others He said in my hearing, "Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.
6 "Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
Who were the only people counted as righteous? Not those who didn’t practice sin, but those who did not practice and mourned over the sins the people were committing. Have we cried over this nation’s fall from morality? Do we mourn over the 60,000 innocent children slain in the womb? Do you enjoy sexual immorality on the TV or movies? We justify ourselves because we don’t commit the physical acts, but God judges the intent of the heart. I can justify myself because I have never cheated on my wife, but if I lust after women or view immoral things on my TV screen, I am no different than the man who commits these acts. The same can be said for romance novels and other affairs of the mind. I may not steal, but do I covet, cheat or make money my passion? The first commandment is against idolatry. I can safely say that I have never bowed to an idol – or can I? The Bible says that sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate passion, evil desires and covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Why? Because anything that has a higher position than God in your life is your idol.
Before we as people and we as a nation can pray for God to heal our land, we must first pray for God to heal us. We will never be perfect, but we must always strive toward perfection. The Christian life is a joyful lifestyle of repentance. There is no greater pleasure than to learn how to yield ourselves to God. Once we begin to justify sin, repentance is lost and we move ourselves outside of an abiding relationship with God. If we are walking with God, we are free. If we are walking outside of God, there can be no confidence in this life or the life to come.
Take care of your enemy
What a challenge this is. Look at Matthew 5:
44 "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 and persecute you,
45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
How do we pray for someone like Osama bin Laden? How do we pray for true enemies that destroy and kill without a cause? Our first reaction is to pray against them. This is why it is so important to take care of ourselves first. If I am not right with God, I can’t be in a position to judge wickedness. If I become like my enemy – full of hate and wickedness – who will God judge? This is where the rubber meets the road. Once my focus shifts from righteous indignation to personal vengeance, I have stepped outside of God’s purpose. Look at Psalm 139:
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
What is the focus of this passage? It is not personal hatred. The Bible strictly forbids this from Genesis to Revelation. The focus is not on hating those who rise against me, but hating the attack on a righteous God. King David is declaring his opposition against those who hate God. It is not personal hatred, but perfect hatred. At the same time, David is pleading for God to examine his own heart for wickedness and seeking purity. This is the central theme of opposing wicked men. Examine yourself, let God search and reveal you motives. Repentance – being led into God’s ways and leaving your ways behind. Only then can we deal with wickedness. The focus is solely on God and not self. The hatred that the Bible condemns is always self-centered. It is good to hate sin. It is never good to hate the person. Like it or not, wicked men are still created in the image of God. Like it or not, God desires mercy and not justice. However, God will require justice to the one who rejects mercy and pursues evil and violence. When God judges, He will reject those who rejoice in someone’s misery. Look at Proverbs 24:
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Even if someone has personally harmed me, I don’t have the right to rejoice over their misery. The reason is the motive of the heart. If I want to see someone suffer, I am guilty of personal hatred and I am too proud to see my own sins. If I want to see someone stopped and wickedness judged, I am upholding God’s truth. Judgment of the wicked is mercy to everyone who is oppressed by the wicked. The Bible says, “The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” (Psalm 11:5). God will test the righteous to reveal their heart and motivations. If the righteous love the violence against the wicked, there is no difference between the two.
It is ok to rejoice in victory, but not in another’s fall. For example, when Japan surrendered in World War 2, America rejoiced. The victory had been won and the world was at peace. When Iraq was driven out of Kuwait, we rejoiced because a mad man was defeated. We were not happy that he suffered; we rejoiced that his conquest to possess the Middle East oil fields so he could oppress others had failed. God never condones ‘in your face’ victories. The Bible teaches us that every judgment against man is with a broken heart. God does not desire judgment against anyone. Even our lives testify to this. If I got what I deserved, I would not be in the ministry. I would be judged with the full wrath of God. Why did God have mercy? Because God desires mercy over judgment. God loved mercy so much that He paid the penalty for my sin in my place.
Take Care of Business
Once our hearts are right with God, hate for our enemy will not be consuming our heart and we will have the right perspective. We will hate and stand against evil and then we will be able to be used by God. For many, it will be prayer and sharing God’s hope with the world living in fear. For our government and its military, God has commissioned them to be ministers of His justice. It is only natural to be afraid, but many allow emotions to drive their lives. Rage causes people to act irrationally and fear does the same. Just as we should not jump into the role of justice without self-examination, repentance and seeking God, we also should not allow fear to turn us away from justice. We have the promise that if we humble ourselves, pray and repent, God will hear and heal our land. Even so, oftentimes obedience calls for a sacrifice. It is better to do what is right and suffer than to turn from our God-given responsibility and have temporary peace. Look at 1 Peter 3:
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
We submit ourselves to the will of God. Never has there been a time in history where a tyrant dominated a nation or the world without the apathy of God’s people. When we do nothing, evil reigns. We have already read that God tests the righteous. How many times has the church failed this test. We have allowed wickedness to infiltrate our lives in the church and in the world because we downplayed the importance of our role as being salt and light to the world. Sometimes light has to shine on evil. It will not be welcomed. Sometimes salt hits an open wound and it will create a hostile reaction. Does the fear of reaction drive us from doing what is right? The Bible says it is better to suffer for doing good. We have already seen that God considers apathy to be as evil as those actively in rebellion against God.
We are commanded to do good even if there is a cost. Only the Christian has hope beyond the cost. Therefore, we should be bold in the face of sacrifice or danger. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” The righteous are those who have forgiveness through the cross, are focused on the will of God, and the hope of eternity. With this responsibility, we are to continue to examine ourselves and our motives in light of God’s word. It is possible to faithfully execute God’s judgment and still fall under God’s judgment.
In 2 Kings we see the story of Jehu. God declared judgment on king Ahab, queen Jezebel and the leaders they established. These wicked people forced people to worship their false god and murdered countless people. God appointed Jehu as His authority by making him king over Israel. God then commanded him to be the minister of His wrath and kill the whole house of Ahab and Jezebel. This was God’s judgment, but the government administered this vengeance. Jehu obeyed but he fell in love with the violence. When Jehu had Jezebel killed, he walked over her body and into her house to eat and drink. After a leisurely meal, he sent men to bury her. Judgment against these murders was necessary, but if the ones executing judgment become like those being judged, what has been accomplished? If God weeps over a lost soul, how can we rejoice over it? In response to Jehu’s cruelness, God judged Jehu’s house. Look at Hosea 1
4 Then the LORD said to him: ""Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
This is where we do not want to be. With sorrow judgment is executed, not delight. To be angry over acts of senseless violence is natural and is right if kept within God’s purpose. Anger is an emotion God has created. Like all emotions, anger should not rule us. Emotions are designed by God to be tools in our hands. However, when we are not being led by God, we become tools used by our emotions.
We should stand against evil and we are commanded to do so. We are equally commanded not to become a part of the evil we are called to withstand. There must first be genuine repentance and submission to God. Only God has the right to execute wrath. If we are executing our wrath, we are in sin. The focus must always be on obedience to God. If we are on God’s side, He will always win. It is impossible to separate our feelings from our decision making without prayer, self-examination, repentance and praying for our enemies. The Bible calls us to take care of ourselves, take care of our enemies and only then can we take care of business. Only when we are fulfilling these God-given responsibilities can we expect God to fulfill His responsibility. It is God who must use the authority He has set up to execute justice. If we are a sinful people, our leadership will not be established in the fear of God and we have no guarantee that God is behind our governing authorities. The righteousness of a nation rests on the shoulders of the church.
Never lose sight of the purpose of judgment. The goal is to right what has been wronged. The goal is peace. The goal is to stand against evil so righteousness can give freedom.
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