“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:19
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On Dec. 7, 2013, an NHL matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins turned exceedingly violent. Just seconds into the game, Penguins defender Brooks Orpik leveled Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with a crushing blow, a legal hit but one which many Bruins deemed to be high. The hit resulted in a concussion for Eriksson, and play was chippy for the next few minutes of game action.
During one of the dust-ups, Bruins “enforcer” Shawn Thornton skated up behind Orpik, pulled him to the ground, and delivered two clean punches to his head. Orpik was stretchered off the ice and was later diagnosed with a concussion. Meanwhile, Thornton was ejected for his retaliatory act and subsequently suspended 15 games.
As human beings, we have a built-in sense of justice. One of the many implications of this is that when we see a wrong committed, we feel deep in our souls the need for the wrong to be made right. Often, we respond to that need by sinfully seeking revenge ourselves. Thornton sure did, and it cost him 15 games and $84,615.45.
God doesn’t deny that justice must be done; in fact, we have a built-in sense of justice precisely because we were made in the image of a perfectly just God. But, God does tell us in His Word that we must not be the ones to execute that justice. He’ll take care of that.
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:19
We can rest easy, knowing that — one day — God will make right every wrong. We don’t have to “get them back.” Every time someone disparages you or cuts you off in traffic, every harsh word or dirty glance, all these injustices will be atoned for. Either the perpetrators receive justice for their sins in hell, or Jesus paid the penalty for their sins on the cross.
So, what are we supposed to do instead of taking revenge?
Well, we trust. We trust that God is who He said He is, that He’ll do all He said He’d do. When we look around at a world wracked with sin on the other side of the globe and right here in our hearts, we trust that He sees it all, and that He’s doing something about it.
So the next time you feel slighted, however big or small, take a deep breath and trust that God will enact justice. He’ll take care of it. Remember, “It is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
— Kevin Mercer
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