Do Not Take Revenge

DO NOT TAKE REVENGE ON OTHERS OR CONTINUE TO HATE THEM, BUT LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF. I AM THE LORD. Leviticus 19.18.

I know of a group of Christians who attend a weekly Bible class. Once, they were studying about ‘Love’. The study lasted for several weeks. They learned many Scriptures that taught them to love others and stop hating anyone. They discussed their personal problems with each other.

They also spent much time asking God to help them forgive those whom they hated and for the grace to forgive. After all that, many still said that they found it hard to forgive. Those who were deeply hurt even admitted, “I can’t forgive, neither can I forget!” This only reveals how difficult it is to get along with people who offend and hurt you.

But the Word of God is very clear about how you should react towards those who hurt you. The Bible teaches, “Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the LORD”. Not loving but hating those who are against you and taking revenge on them is the norm of this world. But you who belong to the Lord, should be different in your behaviour towards others. Your actions and reactions are to be guided by the Word of God and not by your old nature. You need to be different! THE REASON – “FOR, I AM THE LORD”, says your God. Recently, a Christian magazine in India requested me to write an article on “the Christian response to the ‘evil and corruption’ of this world”. How can we respond righteously unless we are practicing Scriptural principles?

Another good reason why God asks you not to hate but to leave revenge to Him is because “Revenge belongs to Him!” He is the judge. He judges uprightly. When God punishes, His intention is to correct and not to destroy. If you are to keep hating and take your own revenge, you may punish them ‘less’ because you are weak. Or you may inflict ‘more’ because you are strong!

Dear believer, the worst thing about hating and seeking revenge is that they destroy you in mind, body and soul more than your offender! When you cannot forgive and forget, you lose your peace, sleep, appetite, health, if not definitely your SOUL! For Jesus has told us very sternly, “if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Mt 6.14.15).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to love others as myself and not to hate or take revenge but to leave it to You. Amen.