May
18
Written by:
Henrik
5/18/2010 7:00 AM
by Steve Pelton
Revenge often seems so basic to humanity. It’s in our films, our tabloid magazines, in Shakespeare, and in our dealings with neighbors and coworkers. It’s as human a feeling as love and courage. But unlike those feelings, revenge can burn us from the inside out, turning us into things that we no longer recognize. We become obsessed with getting even, with hurting those who hurt us, with inflicting pain and suffering on others in order to meet some need within ourselves. It may feel good, it may seem to satisfy some sense of personal justice, but in the end, the changes that it effects in us reveal a bitterness of soul and coarseness of heart. We become something different, something unpleasant. Revenge can make us destroy friendships, families, and even end lives.
And as God’s people, we know we are not immune to the lure of vengeance. We’re still human, even though we seek to follow God. We’re tempted to listen to ourselves and not God. And fighting this temptation can be an uphill battle, especially if we really are in a situation in which someone took advantage of us, hurt us or a loved one of ours, or sought to sully our reputation for his or her own gain. We may have a legitimate grievance, a clear reason to be angry, but before us must always be that notion that revenge will burn us from the inside out. God tells us in Scripture that vengeance is up to him (Deuteronomy 32:25), and that he will right the wrongs done. But still, this lure towards vengeance is so often enticing. We see this with Absalom, King David’s son. In our last reading, Absalom’s sister, Tamar, was brutally raped by Amnon. Now, Absalom wants his revenge. And we are left to wonder how God works in this situation. Do we, like Absalom, answer to our own drive for vengeance, or do we stop, understanding that it is God who is in control over the situation? We know that God cares for those in this story, for Tamar, the grieving King David, even the angry and plotting Absalom. And in this story God does move, wanting to see healing among David’s broken family. We see his desire for restored relationships, and in seeing this, we begin to understand how God wants to work in our lives and relationships. We may not be Absalom, hungering to kill a relative, but we are as susceptible to revenge as he was. And God wants to speak to us about this, as much as he certainly wanted to speak to Absalom. The question is whether or not we will listen.
A fellow traveler,
Steve
Tags: