In this devotional, we will be looking at the last five helps for the season of when we receive injuries and abuses from men. This is a season where others harm us, whether believer or not. We often can desire to take revenge upon those who hurt us, but God teaches a better way. Last time, we saw four helps for this season: (1) God commands against taking revenge, and hence He is the One we are sinning against when we seek it; (2) there are many godly examples in Scripture, history, and even among those still living that we can look to; (3) if the person who wronged you is a Christian, then God will forgive Him and you must remember that God has forgiven you for much more than his wrong; and (4) if the man is wicked, then our response should be one of pity (thoughtful care), since we know the miserable and sinful state that he is in, which is exactly where we once were. Flavel has five more helps:
5. Remember that by revenge you can only gratify a sinful passion, which by forgiveness you might conquer. Suppose that by revenge you might destroy one enemy; yet, by exercising the Christian’s temper you might conquer three—your own lust, Satan’s temptation, and your enemy’s heart. If by revenge you should overcome your enemy, the victory would be unhappy and inglorious, for in gaining it you would be overcome by your own corruption; but by exercising a meek and forgiving temper, you will always come off with honor and success. It must be a very disingenuous nature indeed upon which meekness and forgiveness will not operate; that must be a flinty heart which this fire will not melt. Thus David gained such a victory over Saul his persecutor, that “Saul lifted up his voice and wept, and he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I.”
When we think of revenge, we are so often driven to seek it for those things that happen to us, forgetting that we have far worse enemies to fight: our sinful flesh. By seeking revenge on a person, we lose our inward battles against sin and yield to the corrupting of our hearts. In this, we need to remember the nature of our battle. Is it against men that we fight, acting as the world does in revenge? Or is there a better way? Paul said, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph. 6:12 HCSB). Those with flesh and blood (human beings) are not our enemy in our fight, but the darkness of this world, which includes the darkness of our own flesh: the wickedness seeking to manifest itself from within us. Whatever rules this world contrary to the way of Christ is our enemy: greed, lust, rage, and so on. Our desire for revenge is one of those enemies that need to be mortified within us. And when we have victory here, then our true mission towards the ones who wrong us become clear and unmuddied by the wickedness of our hearts. That is the way of Christ and what God uses to win souls for Him.
6. Seriously propose this question to your own heart: ‘Have I got any good by means of the wrongs and injuries which I have received?’ If they have done you no good, turn your revenge upon yourself. You have reason to be filled with shame and sorrow that you should have a heart which can deduce no good from such troubles; that your temper should be so unlike that of Christ. The patience and meekness of other Christians have turned all the injuries offered to them to a good account; their souls have been animated to praise God when they have been loaded with reproaches from the world. “I thank my God.” said Jerome, “that I am worthy to be hated of the world.” But if you have derived any benefit from the reproaches and wrongs which you have received, if they have put you upon examining your own heart, if they have made you more careful how you conduct, if they have convinced you of the value of a sanctified temper; will you not forgive them? will you not forgive one who has been instrumental of so much good to you? What though he meant it for evil? if through the Divine blessing your happiness has been promoted by what he has done, why should you even have a hard thought of him?
When we seem to never benefit from being harmed, hurt, ridiculed, and scorned, the blame cannot be placed on the one hurting us, but on ourselves. In such cases, our hearts respond to evil with evil, rather than seeking to bring glory to Christ. How we respond, and the condition of our heart, when we are wronged is very important. It is perhaps our best witness, because the true condition of our heart is shown even to others through it. Respond with heart-devotion to God here, and you show to the world that you are not a “Christian” only when things go as you like. What a great witness! Peter and the apostles give us such an example to follow:
After they called in the apostles and had them flogged, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the Name. Every day in the temple complex, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 5:40-42).
Persecution and receiving harm did not slow them down. If anything, it was a source of encouragement! For they realized that they were harmed for following Christ, and that He rewards those who faithfully serve Him. This should also be our response.
7. Consider by whom all your troubles are ordered. This will be of great use to keep your heart from revenge; this will quickly calm and sweeten your temper. When Shimei railed at David and cursed him, the spirit of that good man was not at all poisoned by revenge; for when Abishai offered him, if he pleased, the head of Shimei, the king said, “Let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him. Curse David: who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?” It may be that God uses him as his rod to chastise me, because by my sin I gave the enemies of God occasion to blaspheme; and shall I be angry with the instrument? how irrational were that! Thus Job was quieted; he did not rail and meditate revenge upon the Chaldeans and Sabeans, but regarded God as the orderer of his troubles, and said, “The Lord hath taken away, blessed be his name.”
God is the One who ordains your hardships as well as your comforts. Just as a son submits under the loving care of his father, so should we seek to keep our hearts in this time of our Father’s shaping and moulding. Why should we oppose His work? Do we think that we are greater than Him? No, we take diligent care to keep our hearts on Him, conforming to His ways. That is the furnace of our refinement.
8. Consider how you are daily and hourly wronging God, and you will not be so easily inflamed with revenge against those who have wronged you. You are constantly affronting God, yet he does not take vengeance on you, but bears with you and forgives; and will you rise up and avenge yourself upon others? Reflect on this cutting rebuke: “O thou wicked and slothful servant! I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me; shouldst thou not also have compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?” None should be so filled with forbearance and mercy to such as wrong them, as those who have experienced the riches of mercy themselves. The mercy of God to us should melt our hearts into mercy toward others. It is impossible that we should be cruel to others, except we forget how kind and compassionate God hath been to us. And if kindness cannot prevail in us, methinks fear should:—“If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
In the life of the Christian, mercy is to beget mercy. Because of the abundant and unimaginable mercy we have in Christ, we have every reason to be full of mercy ourselves. This does not mean being a doormat, but not returning evil with evil. There is nothing wrong with seeking justice when you have been wronged according to the laws of the land, and for your own protection. Only, do not return evil for evil. Evil is that which stems from the heart. And if it would be a good thing for you to drop charges in certain cases (this is a freedom we have), then do so, with the aim of seeking their souls. We should also be happy that God does not take revenge for our many attacks on Him and His character! These attacks on Him come from our own hearts. If we faced justice, then we would have been in hell long ago.
9. Let the consideration that the day of the Lord draweth nigh, restrain you from anticipating it by acts of revenge. Why are you so hasty? is not the Lord at hand to avenge all his abused servants? “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth, &c. Be ye also patient, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold, the Judge standeth at the door.” Vengeance belongeth unto God, and will you wrong yourself so much as to assume his work?
God’s judgement is coming, and all who face it will be terrified. They will get exactly what their sin deserves. So, there is no reason for us to take this revenge for ourselves except for the ruin of our own selves. In Romans 12:19, Paul said, “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.” God is the just judge. Trust in Him always. Keep your heart on Him and all things will be of His goodness for you, for He is in control of the world and everything in it.
Next time we will be looking at season 8: the season of great trials.