A Dreadful Thing

 

“It is mine to avenge; I will repay”

—Hebrews 10:30a

Revenge is a horrible word. It embodies an enslavement of mind and heart to the lust for getting even with someone who has harmed us. It sets aside all common decency and presses to see another person destroyed.

Sadly, on a number of occasions during my life within the Church, I have observed the great peril that a lust for revenge has brought into the life of the one desiring to see another destroyed in order to get even with some real, or in some cases imagined, insult. The one seeking revenge has not only harmed the target of the vengeance, but has often destroyed those around the vengeful one and even the vengeful one himself or herself.

Not long ago, I observed a woman who had been asked a very reasonable question by a particular church leader. In response, feeling that her personal vanities and perks had been damaged, this woman began to harbor a very hateful attitude toward that church leader. The wounded one plotted and planned and schemed to destroy the reputation and livelihood of the church leader. It took nine years, but finally, after enlisting the help of family members and other angry individuals, the woman achieved her goal. She engineered the dismissal of the church leader.

In so doing, she brought about the near destruction of the particular church. She totally disrupted the effectiveness of the ministry of that church. She threatened the financial stability of the church. She harmed countless numbers of families who could no longer enjoy the blessing of the ministry of that church leader.

In the wake of this action, the church lay in ruin, the lives of families were irreparably harmed, reputations were destroyed, people’s hearts were broken, while others suffered physical and emotional distress, and on and on and on. Yes, the woman finally got her long-sought revenge. She satisfied her lust for vengeance. But, was it worth it?

In writing to the newly formed Church, the writer of the Book of Hebrews offered these powerful and poignant words, as recorded in Hebrews 10:30-31:

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We will all experience hurts in the course of our lives. Many times the hurts will be unintentional. They may even result from our own insecurities and unwillingness to humbly extend our love and care to others, placing their interests before our own. If we are wise, we absorb these hurts and discard them as meaningless.

But, occasionally, we may feel that we have been unjustly harmed by another. Matthew 18:15-17 gives us Jesus’ instruction for handling such matters:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

That, dear ones, and that alone, is the only acceptable way for us to handle ourselves when someone sins against us. We have two choices: to overlook the hurt—and even examine ourselves to determine whether or not we may have contributed to the circumstances that brought about the supposed hurt—or proceed to follow the very clearly listed steps of Matthew 18:15-17.

Under no circumstances does Scripture permit us to seek revenge. Vengeance belongs only to God.

As we begin a new day, let’s thicken our “skin” to guard against being too easily hurt. And, let us determine to grant humble love to those who would harm us. If we feel we must act, let’s remember that vengeance belongs to God alone.

 

_{Copyright © 2016 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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