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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