Nobody Does It Better
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay says The Lord.” Rom.12:19 Written by The Apostle Paul
Saul killed, imprisoned, and persecuted innocent, defenseless Christians. His zeal was tyrannical. Obviously the church of that day would have prayed intensely for their enemy as Christ instructed. They would have obediently left the execution of their justice in God’s hands.
The supernatural “slap down” of Saul while he was on the road to more persecutions dramatically demonstrated the way God’s vengeance works. The tyrant was not only reduced to a crumpled heap of repentance, he was turned into a bondservant for life, to serve the cause and the people he had oppressed. Pay them back, so to speak. That’s God’s kind of payback. No human vengeance could ever have accomplished that.
Collecting
Forgiveness means tearing up the “IOU.” Unless we forgive, we are left to collect the debt ourselves. Executing our own vengeance lets the offender off the hook of God’s vengeance, and sets them apart to the drastically inferior consequences of whatever we try to self-generate. God doesn’t “pile on” to those human efforts. He obviously cannot participate in the injustice of double jeopardy.
If we insist on going after our “pound of flesh,” in order to “get even,” God is restrained. The battlements arrayed for our justice must “stand down” and await their orders. Forgiveness releases God’s mighty hand. It’s a superweapon.
“The battle is The Lord’s” 2 Chr.20:15, but we free His mighty hand by “giving place unto wrath,” as in the destruction of the Egyptian army. The orders for God’s people were, “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Ex.14:13. The order for God’s invisible army was then, “charge!”
We determine the place that will be given or not given to wrath. His mighty invisible army awaits.