Is Revenge Ever Justified? | Pleading for vengeance (Psalm 1-7)…
Have you ever started a new book having heard about it only for it to jump out at you with twists and turns you never expected? The first time I read through the book of Psalms as an adult, I was shocked. All my life, I had thought it to be a book of praises. Man, were my preconceived notions blown out of the water! One of the lessons it guides us through is how to deal with wicked people on earth. I mean, is revenge ever justified by us or does it always have to be given over to God?
Vengeance could be described as the child of revenge and bitterness. It takes root in your heart and can either harden it or be offered up and released.
It’s never too late to start….
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Two Teams…
The first Psalm starts off exactly as expected, a beautiful praise for a committed Christian who delights in the Lord. Verse 4 makes your mind flip 180 degrees. It is the baseline for the two types of people on this earth. There are three types of people, 2 teams, and only 1 makes it to Heaven.
- Godly – The true Christian, whose very life is utterly transformed with aspiring to obey the will of God
- Lukewarm – The ‘Christian’ by name only; living life with a hardened heart knowing the truth but never submitting to God
- Wicked – The adversary to God and His people
The two teams are team Jesus and team Satan. There are ONLY two teams! Only ONE will see the glory of God in Heaven.
Which team are you? Which person do you most identify with?
The wicked…
What hope does the wicked person have? The Psalms spell it out for us in less than favorable, yet direct, terms.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:4-6
They have no standing, no grounds for argument even. Chaff is referred to as a useless byproduct at the end of the life cycle of grains. A flimsy cover for the potential goodness inside. All that remains for the wicked is a byproduct with no substance. A life wasted.
Separate lives…
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers….
Psalm 1:1
The Old Testament lays out the setting apart of God’s people, a holy people. Psalms lays out the separating of the holy versus wicked. But the New Testament is often thought of as living in relationship with sinners, going to them, etc.
These are not separate concepts if you look at how they are all laid out. They actually piece together quite well.
The nation of Israel can be looked at as the modern day church; God set aside His people, they live and commune together, learn more about Him, and welcome any to their church. Similarly, the New Testament represents the modern day church as much the same. Both showcase examples where the separating of the holy versus wicked are clearly given. In the Old Testament, they were to put outside the camp anyone who was wicked, in the New Testament, Ananias and Saphira faced the ultimate separation of immediate death for their wickedness.
They are not conflicting but complimentary. See, we need to keep in mind that Jesus did say to seek and save the lost, to witness to ALL, even the wicked. But when the Bible shares the stories where He ate with sinners, there was an implicit purpose behind it. He did not go to just ‘have dinner’, but to minister and share the Good News. He did not just have a friendly conversation with the Pharisees, rather, He was direct and did not mince words. Nor did He receive or ask advice of them, their knowledge was not Biblical. He was not living among them, but displayed a great example of how to live near them.
He hears us…
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Psalm 4:3, emphasis added
Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. … O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
Psalm 5:1,3, emphasis added
Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.
Psalm 6:8-9, emphasis added
It cannot get much more comforting than that, to know that the Lord hears us!
Seriously, take some time to ponder that concept. The God of the universe, who created EVERYTHING, hears us. He hears our pleas and our cries and our praises. He hears us.
The prior book of Job lays out, arguably, the best example of human suffering imaginable. God heard him in his distress because he was set apart.
Refuge…
God provides a refuge for us. He grants us a different kind of peace that the worldly cannot recognize because it is for those He set apart. Does that mean you have no worries or fears? No. It does mean that riding high above those worries and fears is a knowledge that God is in control of ALL things and ALL of your circumstances.
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. … Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!
Psalm 3:3-6,8
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Psalm 5:11-12
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:7-8
My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
Psalm 7:10-11
Do you see it, what attitude the Psalmist displays? Psalms 3-7 are all Psalms of David. There is a joyous tone to how he speaks about God’s refuge. He still faces his earthly feelings of frustration and fears, but he KNOWS who is in ultimate control.
Truthful prayers for enemies…
Oh, but that the grace of God allows us to feel our feelings. The book of Job showed us this is okay. It is okay to work through your feelings, so long as you do not sin in the process. Here, we see a similar concept.
These are the times that Psalms blew out all preconceived notions. Read the language that is used to ask for vengeance; harsh is an understatement.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
Psalm 3:6-7
All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Psalm 6:10
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
Psalm 7:14-16
For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
Psalm 5:9-10
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!
Psalm 7:9
How are those prayers ok?
Praying for your enemies seems to contradict the New Testament teachings. Except they don’t.
Shining a new light on these prayers happens when considering the Bible as a whole. They are brought to God with a request for HIM to exact vengeance. David wants consequences for the wrongs that have been done, but he puts a backseat to his anger and bitterness and offers it for God to exact vengeance. Also, David knows there is a final judgment that awaits all who do not become right with God, but he still asks for earthly consequences.
The presence of so-called "imprecations" (curses) in the Psalms has occasioned endless discussion and has caused many Christians to wince, in view of Jesus' instructions to turn the other cheek and to pray for one's enemies (see Mt 5:39,44), and [H]is own example on the cross (see Lk 23:34). Actually, these "imprecations" are not that at all; rather, they are appeals to God to redress wrongs perpetrated against the psalmists by imposing penalties commensurate with the violence done (see [Psalm] 28:4)--in accordance also with normal judicial procedure in human courts (see Dt 25:1-3). The psalmists knew that he who has been wronged is not to right that wrong by his own hand but is to leave redress to the Lord, who says, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay" (Dt 32:35, see Pr 20:22; Ro 12:19). Therefore they appeal their cases to the divine Judge (see Jer 15:15). NIV Study Bible
Acknowledgment of justice…
Sometimes the concept of revenge can infiltrate our thinking. After all, someone wrongs us, the natural reaction is that it’s their turn next. But is revenge ever justified? The Psalms take us through a journey to understand a rightful mindset.
We have now:
- established to whom it references with identifying the holy versus the wicked,
- they are to live separate,
- He hears the holy ones,
- to trust in the Lord and rest in His refuge, and
- give up your claim for vengeance.
God is Judge…
God is the Judge, and while it may be hard at times to accept, it is necessary and a part to understand His sovereignty is over all of creation.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:5-6
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Psalm 5:3-6
Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
Psalm 6:4
O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
Psalm 7:1-2
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
Psalm 7:9-13
Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!
Psalm 3:8
Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
Psalm 5:10-11
The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Psalm 6:9-10
Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
Psalm 7:6
Is Revenge Ever Justified?…
Well, is it? Is revenge ever justified? It is not ours to exact or plot.
It is our responsibility to let it go and give it to God. That is not to say that it will be easy, but it gets easier the more you practice it.
Our goal on earth should not be lived with an expectation of fair treatment by all. Our view on this will often showcase the level of hardness in our hearts. Share on XDoes that mean you are a pushover? No. But again, our lives on earth are temporary. To live with an expectation of fair treatment of all should not be our end goal in life. Our view on this will often showcase the hardness of our hearts.
Prime example…
The New Testament has an example of a man being stoned to death, and his final recorded words were: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Our pastor shared with us on Sunday a quote from Saint Augustine.
If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul. – St. Augustine Share on XIf Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul.
St. Augustine
Keep in mind, Stephen is the first recorded martyr following Jesus’ death. The timing of His death was still very fresh and real in the minds of the early church.
Stephen is in accord with the ultimate example for how we are to approach earthly revenge.
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34a
These are examples to emulate! The ultimate status of our hearts ought to be a desire for all to be made right with God with our feelings rightfully put aside for His glory.
Last Week
Job 36 – 42
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