Revenge

Psalm 70:1–5 (ESV):  

1  Make haste, O God, to deliver me! 

O Lord, make haste to help me! 

2  Let them be put to shame and confusion 

who seek my life! 

Let them be turned back and brought to dishonour 

who delight in my hurt! 

3  Let them turn back because of their shame 

who say, “Aha, Aha!” 

4  May all who seek you 

rejoice and be glad in you! 

May those who love your salvation 

say evermore, “God is great!” 

5  But I am poor and needy; 

hasten to me, O God! 

You are my help and my deliverer; 

O Lord, do not delay! 

Have you ever sought revenge?

I bet, like most of us you have. David does, in this psalm he is saying that he wants those who hurt him to be dishonoured, those who want him dead to be confused and ashamed, and those who mock him to be turned away in shame. He wants those who have troubled him to be hurt, to regret the way they have treated him. Yet he is not seeking revenge from his own hands. He asks God to do it. That takes a great deal of strength - to give the plotting, power and action of revenge over to someone else. It means you have to let go of the deep anger within and allow someone else to do what is fitting. Trusting them to act appropriately and to get the right result. Can you imagine how hard that must have been? 

Some of us automatically deal out revenge, or ‘payback’ as my kids call it, without even thinking about it. It is accepted and expected from the culture we are in. If someone hurts you - you get them back. What David did was very cross-cultural, but very much kingdom culture. He trusted God not only with his circumstances but to sort out those who were his enemies too, to give them what they needed and deserved.

I am sure you can relate to feeling hurt, annoyed, or even infuriated when people come against you. Especially when the hurt is unfair and unjustified. David felt like that, it is natural - everyone hates injustice when it is experienced in their life. God hates it too, so it is not a bad thing to feel like that. Yet allowing those emotions to control what you do next is a problem and can get you into trouble. I am sure David had learnt that from the experiences of his life, so in this situation he does not allow his feelings result in action from his own hands. This does not mean that he was inactive - he tells God about it and restrains himself as he bravely hands over his situation and emotions to God so that He can sort out the problem people. 

David does not follow the way of the World and seek his own revenge, but he considers the way of God instead and holds himself back. He restrains his power and tells God what he wants to happen then calls upon God to do something about it. This is displaying kingdom culture and wisdom. It is not easy, but it is the better way. It is not that he wasn't really bothered by what happened - David is passionately ranting at God - look at all the exclamation marks and how many times he asks God to hurry up! He is; frustrated, hurt and furiously angry about these people that are trying to get away with murderous intent. However David does not act in his own power, although he could. He is a king and successful warrior, so he could powerfully deal out revenge. However David knows a better and more successful way and that is to ask God to hurry up and sort them out! 

What strength David shows in his anger to demonstrate trust, restraint, patience and wisdom. For who is best equipped to sort out an injustice and to right a wrong? Surely one who has never committed a wrong and who can be temperate in their response, plus has all resources and strength in their hands. When we deal out revenge or punishment particularly when riled up, angry and agitated, it rarely goes well does it? Often we end up overreacting and make matters worse for ourselves as well as others. People can end up injured and imprisoned because they have sought revenge by their own hands. Therefore, David wisely allows his knowledge of who God is rule his ways and hands over these people into His hands to do what is fitting. Handing over situations, people and emotions to God when you’re frustrated and angry is a powerful and wise move. For a start, consider how much more God can do than you! He has all the resources, experience, knowledge and strength to sort these people out properly. He knows what they need. Plus, if you are part of His family, and have done nothing wrong, do you not think that your loving Father is going to fight on behalf of His kid? 

David knows that God is His Heavenly Father, yet he is fed up of being mocked and ridiculed, hunted down and slandered, so he has a good rant to God about it, asking Him to sort it out. When a child has a rough day, do they not go to their parents and complain about it? Seeking solace, guidance and a solution. If you are a parent, and hear that your child has been mistreated by someone else, what would you do? I am sure you would be more than willing to sort out an injustice out for them! Even the mildest parent can turn into a lion when their child is harmed. So, just as a child trusts their parent to help them when things get tough, you can trust your Heavenly Father to protect and fight for you when you are unfairly treated, threatened or harmed. You do not need to fight your own battles, and it is best if you don’t. You have an Almighty, everlasting, ever-loving Father who is more than willing and capable of bringing judgement and justice, So do not be afraid to call out to Him to be, ‘my help and deliverer’ and to ‘put to shame and confusion’ those who persecute you.