Vengeance with a Spiteful Heart
The Bible is clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord.(Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19-21) He is the Only Perfect Judge, who knows just how and when to take vengeance. He hates it when we take vengeance into our own hands and especially when we do it with a spiteful heart. The Philistines found this out the hard way, when they took vengeance on Israel with a spiteful heart, and God destroyed them. (Ezekiel 25:15,16) There are many lessons to be learned from these verses.
God commands us to love others, as Christ loves us. We are even to love our enemies. Therefore, we are not to hold a grudge against anyone, but we are to forgive. If we do hate someone or hold a grudge, it can turn into a spiteful heart, which is a heart of bitterness that desires to hurt the other person and take vengeance. If we give in and take vengeance, we are rebelling against God, and He will punish us, whoever we are. This does not just apply to believers. It is universal, as are all of God's laws.
Therefore, we are to love those who hate us and persecute us. We are to allow God to take vengeance on them. We can protect ourselves, but we are not to retaliate against them. We are to return good to people who treat us in an evil way. This is how we show them that we have the love of Christ for them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 28-31.
God commands us to love others, as Christ loves us. We are even to love our enemies. Therefore, we are not to hold a grudge against anyone, but we are to forgive. If we do hate someone or hold a grudge, it can turn into a spiteful heart, which is a heart of bitterness that desires to hurt the other person and take vengeance. If we give in and take vengeance, we are rebelling against God, and He will punish us, whoever we are. This does not just apply to believers. It is universal, as are all of God's laws.
Therefore, we are to love those who hate us and persecute us. We are to allow God to take vengeance on them. We can protect ourselves, but we are not to retaliate against them. We are to return good to people who treat us in an evil way. This is how we show them that we have the love of Christ for them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 28-31.