Romans 12:19-21, 1 Samuel 24:12, Romans 5:8

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Revenge feels good if someone hurts us. Our natural reaction is to try to pay them back, to make them feel that same sort of pain that we felt. To try to get even with them and settle the score. However, even though revenge might feel good to us, what does God say about revenge? Romans Chapter 12, it says this.

Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord. But: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)

In response to that, we want to say. But, but, but. But they hurt me so much. But if I let them get away with it, they’re just going to keep doing it to me again and again and again. What does God say? He says, Vengeance is mine. I will repay, not you. Instead, what does he tell us to do? Don’t repay evil with evil, but repay evil with good. This reminds me in some ways of a story that we hear back in the Old Testament and first Samuel Chapter 24 about King David when he was being hunted down by another king by the name of King Saul, and he was on the run.

And at one point, we hear that David and his men are hiding in the back part of a cave. And Saul says he’s looking for David. He needs to go to the bathroom. And so he enters into this cave by himself, not realizing his enemies right there. And David’s friends say the Lord has given Saul and your hands rise up and kill him. David says, No, I can’t do that. This is the Lord’s anointed King. How can I kill him? So what David does is he cuts off a corner of Saul’s garment. And after Saul has left the cave, David finally comes out after Saul is quite a distance away and he calls out to him and he shows him the corner of the garment in his hand and he tells him how close he was to killing him, but that he refrained. David goes on to say this

May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you. (1 Samuel 24:12)

David really says vengeance is God’s, not his, that he isn’t going to hurt his enemy, Saul, No matter how much Saul had hurt him and intended evil towards him. Really interesting to think about the result of all this too. That Saul realized how he had treated David so poorly. How David had shown nothing but mercy and kindness to him. But Saul was acting out of jealousy to kill David.

It’s a good reminder for us as well to the response that people can have to us when we respond with good instead of evil. Yes, maybe their deeds deserve vengeance and judgment. And God says vengeance is mine. He says, As for you, repay evil with good. Not evil with evil.

You can think of the result of that as we show kindness and mercy to our enemy. Maybe they too, will realize what they have done wrong and give up the fight. But how can we do this? The only way we can do this is to remember that vengeance is God’s, but also to remember this to remember God’s mercy that He has shown us. Romans Chapter five it says

But God shows his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Now, we had done everything wrong against God. We were God’s enemies. We were under his wrath in judgment. And yet what did he do? He showed mercy upon his enemies. Mercy upon you and me. By sending Jesus to the cross for us. By allowing his justice to be poured out upon his perfect and Holy Son for us, who didn’t deserve that mercy because of the mercy that God has shown us in Christ. He encourages us now to not respond evil for evil, but respond to evil with good, and the desire to show mercy and kindness to our fellow man in the hopes that they might see the error of their way, they might repent of their sins and also know their Savior’s love. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:8-10

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In the Old Testament, we hear a story of a young boy who has an encounter with God from First Samuel, chapter three, we read beginning in verse eight,

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”
Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:8-10)

How do you know when God is talking to you? I hear this phrase used very frequently in people’s conversations when opportunities arise or even disasters strike. Oh, maybe that’s God telling me to take this new job or that maybe that’s God telling me to move somewhere else. Or maybe that’s God telling me to date such and such a person. How do you know when it’s God talking to you and not someone else? You know, we read our Bibles, we have our devotions fairly often and we study God’s word. And that’s excellent for us to read the Bible and hear God’s speaking to us directly here. That’s really how we know how God is speaking to us.

But also, when we go out into the world, there are other voices coming to us. And often the voice of the devil is right there tempting us, trying to get us to focus on other things. I think of an encounter that the disciple Philip had with an Ethiopian in Acts Chapter eight, and he met this man who is in his chariot reading the scroll of Isaiah. And Philip engaged him in that conversation over the scriptures, and the Ethiopian asked him, How can I understand this? I need someone to explain it to me. And Philip did so, but with a very specific aim in mind. His explanation was pointing directly at Jesus, pointing directly at the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the forgiveness of all of His sins and the promise of eternal life.

And so you and I need that encouragement and that guidance as well. Like Eli for the boy Samuel, who didn’t know who was speaking to him or what the purpose might be. Eli could direct him how to encounter God, how to speak to God, and how to hear what God had to say. And God has blessed us with our fellow Christians as well, especially your pastor. Go and speak to your pastor after you’ve had your own devotion or even before, and you can pray together and you can have conversations about this and with other fellow Christians as well, have conversations about the Word of God. Because what God will do through your fellow Christians is direct you again to Jesus again and again.

John says in his first letter to test the spirits and to encounter those spirits and examine them to see whether they’re from God or not. Because those who tell you the truth about Jesus, those who direct you to look at Jesus are the true Word of God, are giving you the true message that God would have them speak to you and would have you hear.

So learn about that and go speak to others and learn about Jesus. That’s really this blessed message that you hear when you encounter Jesus with fellow Christians. You really do are gathered in the means of grace and receiving forgiveness of sins. And you have that life and you can be assured of that. There’s so much uncertainty. How do I know when it’s God speaking to me? How do I know what God wants for my life? Read his word and speak with your fellow Christians about that word and see Jesus who took your sin away. And His plan for you is eternal life. God loves you. Your fellow Christians love you. Your pastor loves you and wants you to have that very eternal life in Jesus name.