VENGEANCE IS MINE,SAITH THE LORD

Romans 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

In the Old Testament, the Mosaic Law provided justice for premeditated harm or death through vengeance, by the person harmed, or by their immediate relative. Numbers 35:16-21 specifically deals with revenge for the premeditated murder of another. This passage closes by saying that the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. The verses that follow, verses 22-28, discuss the death of one by another that is not premeditated, such as may have occurred by accident. To avoid a revenged death by the next of kin, the one causing the accidental death would be taken, by the judgment congregation, to one of six cities of refuge. If the person remained there until the death of the current high priest, he could return home as a free man. However, if the accidental slayer left the city of refuge, the avenger of blood, the next of kin, had the right to take his life. Such is the Mosaic Law regarding murder or the accidental slaying of a fellow Israelite. Vengeance was allowed in these instances under the Old Covenant.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ ushered in a New Covenant, which did away with that which was old. For instance, the old law of retribution was overturned. No longer could an individual seek personal vengeance, in like kind, from another that had harmed him, or by their relatives, if the result was death. The law of, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, was eliminated by the New Testament law of Christ (Matt. 5:38-39). As we begin the study of Romans 13, we find that the crimes of murder, or any harm to another person or their property, are not to go unpunished, but the responsibility for administering justice was to rest with civil authorities. This New Testament law does not mean that one cannot seek justice through proper civil authorities, but that we cannot take the law of vengeance and retribution into our own hands. Certainly, one does not forfeit their civil rights upon becoming a Christian.

Although personal vengeance was allowed under the Mosaic Law, it was only a temporary delegation during the Jewish Dispensation. However, God's law is clearly stated, in Deuteronomy 32:35, that vengeance and recompense belonged to Him. The Psalmist confirms this as he begins Psalm 94, O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. The author of Hebrews quotes Deuteronomy 32:35-36 when writing, for we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.

Notice the example Jesus sets for us when He said, for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them (Luke 9:56). Each Christian is to adopt this same compassion for all others within their realm of influence. Jesus also said, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. Adopting this Christ-like characteristic as our own, we can say that, not only does vengeance belong to the Lord, but also the judgment of others also belongs to Him.

Instead of vengeance, Christians are to give place unto wrath. That is, give in to, and allow God's plan of justice to rule. Be assured, that when the fallible justice of civil magistrates is meted out in error, the final, infallible justice of God will, at the end of time, prevail. How do we know this? Because in the inspired word of God He tells us that vengeance is mine; I will repay. Life on earth is governed by God's law. If, through disobedience or omission, we violate His will, we must yield to the justice of God's judgment. Christians have no duty, obligation, or right to pass judgment on others. Of this we can also be assured, that if others sin against us, they do so in God's presence, and He, being the all wise Judge, will administer final judgment on all that have not sought His mercy, by repentance through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We are now given, by inspiration, the way we are to deal with all men and women that sin against us - here referred to as our enemy. Our judgment is not to consider the deeds of the enemy, but rather their needs. This teaching Paul has taken from Proverbs 25:21-22, which says, If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.

Hunger and thirst are specific needs, but the meaning would apply to any need that a person may have. Then, if our "enemy" is in need, we, as Christians, have the same obligation to fill his need as we have to fill the need of anyone. If we withhold our assistance from a person that may have harmed us - anyone with whom we may disagree, or from anyone for any other cause, we would be rendering a personal judgment on others. God has not given us this authority. The following text tells us Jesus' teaching on how we are to treat our enemies. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:43-45).

The lesson text continues to say that by showing compassion on our enemies, that is, those that deal harshly with us, we will, in effect, heap coals of fire on his head. If Chapter 12 ended here, it would be easy to read into this passage, that the demonstration of kindness is intended to bring punishment on the enemy. However, the addition of verse 21 tells us that this is not the intent of Christian compassion. This verse says, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Such kindly deeds by Christians are not to punish the enemy, but to bring shame and remorse to them, which may lead to repentance. An "eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" demonstrates vengeful wrath. We are told to give place unto wrath - to leave judgment and punishment to the will of God. Retribution to the enemy may bring justice but not repentance. Those with criminal intent, resist the power of civil authority, but the power of good deeds is very difficult to resist. Goodness can, and will, overcome the desire to do evil.

Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. God repays evil; the Christian's duty is to overcome it. This is done by disarming the enemy with goodness - kind deeds that will cause him to see his erring way, repent, accept Jesus as his personal Savior, be baptized into the body of Christ, and spend the rest of his life disarming others with kindness and compassion.