The seventh season is a time when we receive injuries and abuses from men. This is a time when people do things to hurt and injure us, and when we become tempted to take revenge. In this season, we will see what a Christian can do when he gets tempted to take matters into his own hands and repay evil for evil. When we act (or even think) on this impulse, then we are not keeping our hearts on God. We need to remember that keeping our hearts (our decision-making, will, and orientation) on God entails being loyally and singularly loyal to Him in obedience to His commandments from all that we are; obedience to all God commands from the inside-out. Here is what Flavel says about this season:
The seventh season, which requires more than common diligence to keep the heart, is when we receive injuries and abuses from men. Such is the depravity and corruption of man, that one is become as a wolf or a tiger to another. And as men are naturally cruel and oppressive one to another, so the wicked conspire to abuse and wrong the people of God. “The wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he.” Now when we are thus abused and wronged, it is hard to keep the heart from revengeful motions; to make it meekly and quietly commit the cause to Him that judges righteously; to prevent the exercise of any sinful affection. The spirit that is in us lusts to revenge; but it must not be so. We have choice helps in the Gospel to keep our hearts from sinful motions against our enemies, and to sweeten our embittered spirits. Do you ask how a Christian may keep his heart from revengeful motions under the greatest injuries and abuses from men? I reply: When you find your heart begin to be inflamed by revengeful feelings, immediately reflect on the following things:
1. Urge upon your heart the severe prohibitions of revenge contained in the law of God. However gratifying to your corrupt propensities revenge may be, remember that it is forbidden. Hear the word of God: “Say not, I will recompense evil.” Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” On the contrary, “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink.” It was an argument urged by the Christians to prove their religion to be supernatural and pure, that it forbids revenge, which is so agreeable to nature; and it is to be wished that such an argument might not be laid aside. Awe your heart, then, with the authority of God in the Scriptures; and when carnal reason says, ‘My enemy deserves to be hated,’ let conscience reply, ‘But doth God deserve to be disobeyed?’ ‘Thus and thus hath he done, and so hath he wronged me;’ ‘But what hath God done that I should wrong him? If my enemy dares boldly to break the peace, shall I be so wicked as to break the precept? if he fears not to wrong me, shall not I fear to wrong God?’ Thus let the fear of God restrain and calm your feelings.
The law of God is precious to the Christian, for to obey it from the heart is love for God! And this God is to be the supreme object of our affections. When we get thoughts in our mind of revenge, we are not so much seeking justice and goodness, but planning evil against God! Who, for instance, ordained that you would be in such a situation? Would not your desire for revenge then be to scorn His providence? Would your complaint not be aimed at God? It would be aimed at Him. Rather than taking matters into our own hands, we ought to trust in His providence, which includes His providence of taking revenge on your behalf; that is, God will make sure that there is ultimate justice. So, rather than seeking their harm, we ought to pray for and love our enemies, for you too were once God’s enemies and now you are saved in Christ. So, do not sin against God, seeking to take revenge, because that would be an attack against God. Rather, love Him, obey Him, and be in awe of His majesty, holiness, and glory, that you obey God and not the impulses of the flesh.
2. Set before your eyes the most eminent patterns of meekness and forgiveness, that you may feel the force of their example. This is the way to cut off the common pleas of flesh and blood for revenge: as thus, ‘No man would bear such an affront;’ yes, others have borne as bad, and worse ones. ‘But I shall be reckoned a coward, a fool, if I pass by this:’ no matter, so long as you follow the examples of the wisest and holiest of men. Never did any one suffer more or greater abuses from men than Jesus did, nor did any one ever endure insult and reproach and every kind of abuse in a more peaceful and forgiving manner; when he was reviled he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; when his murderers crucified him, he prayed Father, forgive them; and herein he hath set us an example, that we should follow his steps. Thus his apostles imitated him: “Being reviled,” say they, “we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat.” I have often heard it reported of the holy Mr. Dod, that when a man, enraged at his close, convincing doctrine, assaulted him, smote him on the face, and dashed out two of his teeth; that meek servant of Christ spit out the teeth and blood into his hand, and said, “See here, you have knocked out two of my teeth, and that without any just provocation; but on condition that I might do your soul good, I would give you leave to knock out all the rest.” Here was exemplified the excellency of the Christian spirit. Strive then for this spirit, which constitutes the true excellence of Christians. Do what others cannot do, keep this spirit in exercise, and you will preserve peace in your own soul and gain the victory over your enemies.
This highlights the importance of learning of the many examples of faith we have in church history: our family’s history. In the places where we live, we, by default, tend to emulate those around us, rather than following the examples of Christian faith. This is what paints the excuses for taking revenge above. Yet, which group are we more a part of? Our own culture or nation? Or the kingdom of God? Yes, we are members of the Kingdom of God of which Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and righteousness!” Because of this, the examples that we look to are not those in the culture around us—a culture that is against God by its very core—but to the exemplars of faith in God’s kingdom. Those are the ones set before us for us to follow, in contradistinction to the rest of the world and its ways. Knowing their stories (and the many in Scripture) and becoming witnesses of this obedience helps us to keep our hearts on God.
3. Consider the character of the person who has wronged you. He is either a good or a wicked man. If he is a good man, there is light and tenderness in his conscience, which sooner or later will bring him to a sense of the evil of what he has done. If he is a good man, Christ has forgiven him greater injuries than he has done to you; and why should not you forgive him? Will Christ not upbraid him for any of his wrongs, but frankly forgive them all; and will you take him by the throat for some petty abuse which he has offered you?
If the person who hurt you is a Christian, then we can extend grace to him. God will set him on the right path. There is no need for revenge here, but reconciliation. Of course, this does not excuse abuses, but if he is truly of God, then he will come to repent and turn from his evil. The parable of the forgiven servant of the King comes to mind. When a servant owed much to Him, He forgave. Yet, when one of those serving this servant owed him something—and a small amount at that—he put him in prison until he paid every last penny. What happened to this wicked servant? He was cast into prison until he paid for every penny that he owed. Rather than extending mercy to a fellow servant, he withheld it and was wicked for doing so. The same is true of us when we do not also forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ from the heart.
4. But if a wicked man has injured or insulted you, truly you have more reason to exercise pity than revenge toward him. He is in a deluded and miserable state; a slave to sin and an enemy to righteousness. If he should ever repent, he will be ready to make you reparation; if he continues impenitent, there is a day coming when he will be punished to the extent of his deserts. You need not study revenge. God will execute vengeance upon him.
When an unbeliever harms us, will we not be avenged? What about us? We too deserve to have all vengeance taken upon us! How can we then, looking at his evil, not take pity on the one who is every bit what we deserve to be? Any vengeance that we wish against such a person is as though we wished it upon ourselves! Would we rather not have him perish and become as we are? Yes, the love of God, which transforms us from the inside-out, compels to this love, that he too may love. So then, there is nothing at all gained by seeking revenge but evil: detesting God’s providence, lacking grace and forgiveness, and lacking the love of God by which we are known as followers of Christ.
Next time we will be looking at five more helps for when we receive injuries and abuses from men in the seventh season.