September 24

Sep 24 - Today from Proverbs 24 we look at verse 29
"Do not say, 'I'll do to him as he has done to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did."

Today we enter into one of the most difficult areas of righteous living - revenge. There is a clear indicator when one holds an attitude or accomplishes an act of revenge; it is the question formed in the mind of the victim, "There. How do you like it?" When someone has violated us, we want them to know what it feels like in return. Maybe then we can be assured that they are really sorry. This proverb teaches that the righteous are not to seek revenge.
But, there appears to be some conflict here. Moses writes in Leviticus 24:19, 20, "If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him; fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth." Does God's word contradict itself? Hardly. The context of the Leviticus passage is civil law and justice. Humanity is seriously flawed by sin, and without a moral law and the authority to enforce that law, there would be chaos. When God formed a nation of Israel, He set down a civil law and justice system. This passage is a part of that system. Paul supports this truth even in the New Testament where he writes in Romans 13:4, "(The governing authority) does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, and agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." God never authorized vigilantism, where we have been given permission to take justice into out own hands. In fact, this proverb forbids vigilantism. The operative phrase in the passage is "I will".
Jesus addresses the issue at the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:38-42, "You have heard it said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." This cannot possibly be taken literally! Are Christians to allow others to trample all over their rights? What is Jesus really teaching here?
Let's try this on, "We are to give up our rights when they interfere with our witness." Jesus set the bar pretty high for us, but not so high that He was not willing to live up to it. He came to live for us the life God purposed for every man. His teaching and life are to be an example for us. He came to die for us the death we deserved. What rights does that leave us? When God himself came and lived and died for us, how can we claim we have any personal rights? We sing the words of the old hymn, "I Surrender All". Well, all except . . . what? What is it that we value more than our witness to His life, death and resurrection? Our pride? Our clothes? Our time? Our possessions?
A pastor once gave a simple illustration. It was a picture of some boys throwing rocks at a coconut tree to get the coconuts to fall. Once the coconuts fell, the boys stopped throwing. The moral of the illustration was this, "When people throw stones at you, give them fruit." The illustration seems a bit too simplistic at first - until you take a close look at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When I was living for myself, I was throwing stones at Him. But He never retaliated. Instead He offered me fruit. When I discovered this, I stopped throwing. Now He tells me I am to be His witness. What rights do I have that are of more value to me than to be His witness?
Yes, He set the bar high. But not too high. When He ascended back to the Father, He poured out grace. Grace to live as His witness. Grace not to seek revenge, but instead to love. That grace is found in a vital relationship with Him. "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:44