Vengeance is the Lord’s. The Christian life includes striving against many things that have an adversarial nature and invasive impact on our daily lives. We endure bodily afflictions (that includes physical decline that accompanies aging); and people who hate the witness and proclamation of Jesus Christ that we possess. Through all these things, we place our trust in God who preserves and fights our battles. The Bible exhorts, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will pray, says the Lord’” (Rom 12:19). Why does Paul give this instruction? David’s confidence in God reveals the answer. Though his foes plotted his destruction and an insurrection against his throne, he placed his faith in the following truths about God:
God knows the secret plans of the wicked. David boasts of God, “Your hand will find out your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you” (v8). Though you and I cannot read minds nor discern fully the motives of people…..though we can be bewildered when under attack, we can trust that none of these things can describe our God. He sees all and he is never surprised by any event under heaven. He never says, “whoops!”, or “I did not see that coming.” We can place our trust in a God who is all knowing and present everywhere, as David did. He has a front row seat in the planning war rooms of our enemies as they plot our demise. He knows every thought they will have before they conceive and speak it with their lips! Further, there is nowhere in all creation that they can hide from knowledge and oversight of God. David understood this truth, for he says in another Psalm, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (8) If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Ps 139:7-8).
God’s vengeance will bring to nothing their schemes. David continues, “Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. (12) For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with bows” (v11-12). Though we bear the wounds of life battles, we have to remember that God will have the final say. He has appointed a day (now & in eternity) where he will settle all accounts and he will set right through his Son all the evil we have endured in this life. Through Christ, the crooked roads shall be made straight and the rough places will become smooth as all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
These truths should lead us in exalting the strength of the Lord! Won’t God do it? Yes he has, he can and he will! To him be all the glory!
Blessings,
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written much better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He always kept talking about this. I’ll forward this post to him.
Fairly certain he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
Praise God! I am glad you were encouraged.