Psalm 94:1-11 NKJV
94 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
Render punishment to the proud.
3 Lord, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?
4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
5 They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”
8 Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
Many of Hollywood’s most popular movies are based on the theme of revenge. Perhaps the reason for this popularity is that we like to see wrongdoers punished and get what is coming to them.
The Bible has a great deal to say about revenge. Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated “vengeance,” “revenge,” and “avenge,” have as their root meaning the idea of punishment. This is crucial as to why God reserves the right to avenge for Himself. Unlike us, God never takes vengeance from impure motives. His vengeance is for the purpose of punishing those who have offended and rejected Him. We can, however, pray for God to avenge Himself in perfection and holiness against His enemies and to avenge those who are oppressed by evil. In our reading for today (Psalm 94:1-2), the psalmist prays for God to avenge the righteous, not out of a sense of uncontrolled vindictiveness, but out of just retribution from the eternal Judge whose judgments are perfect.
It is tempting to try to take on the role of God and seek to punish those who we feel deserve it. But because we are sinful, it is impossible for us to take revenge with pure motives. This is why God tells his people, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).
As God’s people in Christ, we are to follow the Lord’s command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), leaving the vengeance to Him alone – to the God of vengeance poured out His wrath against our sin upon His Son who hung on the cross for our offenses – to our Saviour, Jesus, the “judge of the earth” who will return in His glory to render punishment to the proud – to the Holy Spirit who through word and sacrament, calls us to saving faith, comforts, teaches and sanctifies us unto eternal life.
Let us pray: Thy will be done, O Lord. Amen.