Im a fighter. I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. Im no cheek turner. I got no respect for a man who wont hit back. You kill my dog; you better hide your cat.
A little humorous perhaps, but at the same time these biting sentiments of former world boxing champion Muhammad Ali ring true in most of our lives. Unfair things happen to us. Sometimes they are so amazingly wrong or hurt us so much that we yearn for retribution. We may feel cheated, or humiliated, or dismissed as worthless. We want to get the offender back somehow and hurt them as they have hurt us. We may not plan to hurt them physically but if we can just get them to suffer in some psychological or emotional way – with a little sarcasm here or some silent treatment there – revenge will be sweet.
Dont says God.
Do not say, Ill pay you back for this wrong! (Proverbs 20:22).
Revenge is not the answer.
Sometimes God asks us to do some difficult things, doesnt he? But dont stop there. There is more. We now have a priceless gem – a life changing truth:
Wait for the Lord
Dont read too quickly over this exhortation. Meditate on it. Not only is this a vital key in dealing with our hurts, resentments or anger but this stands at the very centre of our walk with God.
But we argue, I dont like to wait! In this age of fast food, SMSs and Twitter we want everything now – or better still, yesterday. We hate traffic jams, checkout queues, and other delays. Dr James Dobson once wrote; There was a time when a man didnt fret if he missed a stage coach; hed just catch it next month. Now if a fellow misses a section of a revolving door hes thrown into despair!
But dont misunderstand. Biblical waiting is not about gritting your teeth while forcing yourself to wait patiently in the supermarket express lane as a little old lady fumbles through her purse. The Hebrew word for wait is qavah. It also means to hope, to expect. It conveys anticipation. Children eagerly waiting for mom and dad to get out of bed on Christmas morning so they can open their presents beautifully illustrates the meaning of this word. Unfortunately the word hope has lost its meaning today. We say I hope I find a job or I hope it doesnt rain tomorrow but that kind of hope is almost a hope-less word. The biblical hope is a confident hope in something that will take place. It is an expectancy an absolute assurance that something good is going to happen.
Will the sun rise?
Many years ago I spent a few days hiking in the Drakensburg Mountains. Towards evening on the second day the rain bucketed down and by the time I reached a cave I was soaking wet and so was my box of matches! Sleep was impossible and the hours dragged by. I was freezing, tired and uncomfortable and couldnt wait for the night to end. Did I doubt that the sun would rise the next morning (even though it felt like it wouldnt!)? Of course not. I eagerly waited for the first signs of daylight. At about 4 oclock in the morning streaks of dawn began to light up the dark sky and the birds began to chirp. I was confident that my discomfort would soon be over! I waited with anticipation for the sun to rise and the day to break, for the light to replace the darkness, and the cold to be replaced with the warmth of the sun (Psalm 130:6). Confidence. Anticipation. Expectation. Perseverance. Joy thats what biblical waiting is about!
What is the key to waiting? How do we wait for the Lord?
Know who God is.
Hebrews 13:5 contains some of the most enlightening and encouraging words in the Bible about the nature of God. The Amplified Bible gives us a fuller meaning from the original Greek: … be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
According to the Greek experts if this verse was translated into English it would read: I will never, never, never, never, NEVER leave you. What an exhortation! What a promise from our loving Father! He is just. He is good.
So what does Proverbs 20:22 teach us?
Dont seek revenge
Do wait for God, And?
He will deliver you
Did you notice that there is no mention of punishment for the wrong-doer? The emphasis is on your deliverance. He will rescue you. Thats a promise! God will handle the matter. He will make things right. He will sort it out in his own time and in his own way.
This is not about living a passive life and just waiting for God to do everything for us. We are to live responsibly. If we need to forgive, then forgive. If we need to confront then confront. If we need to examine ourselves then do so. Joseph was forced to wait on the Lord, but while he waited, he got busy doing what he could. His good attitude and work ethic resulted in promotion along the way. God is not inactive when we are waiting but working behind the scenes to put all the missing pieces in our lives in place, before he fulfils our desires or request.
Waiting is foundational to our walk of faith. While we are waiting for God trust him, expect from him and watch. He will come through usually in a way you dont expect and his activity will be in a far deeper level than you can imagine. Place your hurts, offences and grievances in Gods hands.
Dont seek revenge.
Dont take justice into your own hands thats Gods job.