Thursday, January 3, 2013

Let's Take Some VENGEANCE!







Vengeance: now there is a word that seldom makes its way into our conversation!   It’s a good thing, too, if we were bent on taking things out on others, but for today, and because we are in pursuit of the enemies of those we love, let’s take that word out and look to see how God uses it.

            Interestingly, when the Lord speaks of judgments, Israel nearly always gets punished, they even experience His limited wrath, but those who seek to hurt her get His vengeance:

“And I will execute great vengeance upon them* with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them” (Ezekial 25:17,) said the Father of the Philistines that came against Judah.

The widow in Luke 18 came seeking vengeance, and vengeance is what she received.  The godless judge saw to it.  What a parable for the Lord to use, and to tell us plainly why this story was coming to our ears . . . to the end that men ought always to pray and not “faint.”  There is a vengeance we are to seek!

Yes, we are in pursuit.  We want to see those long held in bondage set free, like the woman bent double whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath.  Oh, let’s hear His words!  This woman, this daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound these eighteen years, should she not be released from this bond on the Sabbath day?  (Luke 13:16)  He came, and He rescued her.  The next verse says that His opponents were humiliated, but the people were rejoicing.  Even in that moment, it wasn’t vengeance that He wanted to accomplish against the hateful Pharisees.  Again and again, opportunity was given to them, and when even one of them believed, THAT is when VENGEANCE was served on the kingdom of darkness.

“Never take your own revenge, beloved,” says the Lord, “but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”  (Romans 12:19)  Yet, we are commanded to pursue, we are instructed to take up arms, sharp swords, “To execute vengeance . . . to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron . . . to execute on them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints.  (Psalm 149:7-9)

Could it be true that in this Kingdom, it is just as important that we take vengeance as it is that we never avenge ourselves?  Amazing!  Come back tomorrow for more another healthy dose of VENGEANCE!

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