He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, sayeth the Lord.

Romans 12:19

One of the most difficult things in life is to do the right thing for the right reason. So often when we have been wronged, we desire to "get back" at the other person. If they have caused us pain, then we want to cause them pain. It is human nature, but it is wrong, for vengeance is the sole realm of God because it involves judgment. Judgement has been set aside exclusively for God, and Jesus was very clear on this point: Judge not, that ye be not judged!

I think these things are important to keep in mind, given the events of recent days. Our politicians are masters at dividing people and goading them into getting back at the other side when a wrong has been committed against their side. Unless you have been living under a rock in the past few years, you have witnessed an unending series of attacks by one side against the other. A past President has been convicted on 34 felony charges, and now those on his side want to even the score. 

Again, this is human nature, but we must be cautious, for these types of back and forths can escalate to a degree where both sides are consumed. So, what is the solution? If we cannot get revenge on someone who has clearly done wrong does that mean they should just get to walk away Scot free? Of course, the answer to that is no, for if the wicked are allowed to continue their evil, then the innocent will continue to suffer. Then what is the answer?

This is where being familiar with God's Word is so important. The passage in Micah 6:8 gives the solution, for it is revealed in this passage that we are to do justice, but to have a love for others that allows us to be kind and merciful while doing so. That means we can stop the wicked from their evil and hold them accountable for their past acts of wickedness. Our founders understood that evil men had to be brought to account, otherwise there would be chaos, and they understood this because they were familiar with God's instructions in His Word. But they also knew from this same source that our remedies could not be done out of vengeance, so they had safeguards such as a prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

So, when a crime as serious as murder was committed, they would have swift and fair justice: They would hang the murderer! But they also understood that this was to be done in a way that was devoid of revenge, so they wouldn't torture the convicted prior to his punishment. That way the innocent would be protected, but without the righteous being brought down to their level. And they would always try to give the one who committed the crime, regardless of how heinous, a chance to make his peace with God. So their judgment was a matter of necessary physical justice, but not a matter of taking God's place in the eternal realm of spiritual judgment.

Why bring all of this up? It seems like our world has forgotten the difference between justice and revenge. And because of that, we have gotten to the point where we want people "ground under our heels" whenever they do something that outrages us. This attitude of revenge will end up consuming us, if we are not careful. You can see this is so, if you have been watching at all, and it is distressing to watch. There seems to be no more room for differing opinions. If someone thinks different than our side, then they must be taken care of. So, we have this downward spiral of you do me an injustice, and I will do you a bigger injustice right back... and that is the difference, isn't it?

For when we pay back wrong for wrong, we are wrong. There is no question that injustices seem to be done on a more and more frequent basis in the world in which we live, but the answer is not to repay injustice with injustice; rather, it is to bring to justice those who have been unjust. This is the way things used to be done in our nation when our nation was good. More important, it is the way in which God commands us to live. So, if you are wanting to get back at those who have done you wrong, you need to repent. But if you are wanting to bring injustice to an end by exercising justice tempered with mercy, then you will be going a long way into restoring some civility and love into a world that needs these virtues most desperately.

By the way, this type of humble walking before the LORD works just as well in the way that we deal with our family and friends, as it does in the way that we deal with our enemies.

Do we seek revenge? We must know that God will judge those who do! But if we seek justice motivated by a love that will allow us to do so in a kind way, we will be pleasing to God and will help to heal the rift that seems to define our modern day world.