Waiting on the Lord’s Saving Grace

By David Ettinger 

Beware of Self-Vengeance
Have you ever been wronged – truly wronged – and wanted to exact vengeance? If so, you are not alone. The desire for vengeance in the face of legitimate wrong committed against us is very natural, and very human.

As Christians, however, we know that vengeance is not a prerogative – at least if we are the authors of that vengeance. By contrast, Proverbs 10:22 tells us: “Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.”

The Main Lesson
The main lesson for the Christian regarding vengeance is the key word “save” in the above verse. The Hebrew word for “save” is yasha, which means “to free.”

The expression, “no one ever said life was fair” is all too accurate. Oh, it’s true that pure, fair justice awaits you upon entering the Lord’s eternal presence following this life, but in this world, more times than not, life, simply, is not fair.

Often times, inequity befalls you in the form of disturbing circumstances – your home or car is broken into; your neighbor is loud and inconsiderate; someone at work has it in for you; or you were simply overcharged on your electric bill and can’t get the infraction corrected. Your human nature incites you to fight back and seek revenge.

The apostle Paul well understood this inclination – and spoke out against it: “But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:6-7).

God’s Plan
This is the worst scenario – believer going against believer. But the Lord has a different plan. He says, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense” (Deuteronomy 32:35, italic added). Furthermore, God wants and requires you to leave everything to Him: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

When you do this, what do you get from the Lord in return? Along with His saving grace, He will yasha (save) you. When the Lord saves you – or better, frees you – you are free indeed. Note, there is no guarantee that the Lord will actually settle the matter which troubles you. Better yet, the Lord will free, or yasha, you from that which so agitates and disturbs you. He will replace your anxiety with stillness; your antagonism with contentment. His salvation in such instances results in peace, not vengeance.

So next time the inclination to seek revenge grabs hold of you, remember the above two verses, commit your agitation to the Lord, and allow Him to bring peace to your soul!

Tagged: Devotional, God's Grace, God's Love, God's Peace, God's Word;, Practical, Revenge

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, Culture, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, God's promises