Avoiding Revenge

Revenge is something we so easily desire. We have this offended sense of justice that suggests the balance has to be righted. If someone hurts us we have to hurt them back! If someone gets the better of us at work, we have to find a way to get back at them! If someone bombs our country, we have to bomb theirs back!

However, revenge does not even the score, it just doubles the tragedy!!

We have the right to defend ourselves – our physical well-being and our spiritual integrity. We should stand against evil and injustice in all its forms, and show no toleration for the physical and mental abuse of our neighbours. The community of which we are a part can protect itself through just laws and effective policing against inappropriate behaviour and destructive violence. Our country has the right to defend itself against unwarranted aggression.

However, this does not mean that we can be striking out with a demeaning desire to get even, or to punish, or to conquer others. This only brings heartache for all parties; and also causes intense grief to God. The Oxford Dictionary defines “revenge” as:
• a vindictive feeling (a feeling going beyond gaining compensation for loss),
• seeking to satisfy oneself with retaliation (this is to dwell in the lowest expression of human nature – to nurture the need to get back at others before being able to feel satisfied with oneself; the complete opposite of this is expressed in Psalm 17 verse 15),
• seeking to exact retribution (beyond what would be considered proportionate to the crime endured).

The Old Testament’s “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20) has often been utilised in supporting revengeful acts. This fails to recognise that this principle was actually brought in as a moral reform – to regulate against disproportionate acts of punishment (completely over-the-top responses to certain crimes). Rather than two or more eyes being demanded to address the loss of one eye, or a life being demanded for quite a minor misdemeanour, any punishment should fairly relate to the gravity of a crime. This principle sought to limit reprisal, critique the escalation of violence, and eradicate senseless vendettas.

[Rev Colin Chapman was until 2003 Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon, and now lives in semi-retirement near Cambridge. He possibly echoed the thoughts of many when he recently wrote these words > “No one disputes Israel's right to defend itself against attack. What is much more questionable, however, is whether Israel has a right to punish and
destroy a whole country in order to defend itself against attacks launched by one group within that country. Localised attacks on missile sites inside the Lebanese border might have been regarded as legitimate and proportionate. But devastating attacks on the international airport, fuel tanks, power stations, bridges and roads all over the country - and even on the new lighthouse on Beirut's sea-front - is increasingly being regarded as totally disproportionate.”]

Then in the hands of Jesus, and this is to whom we refer as Christians, there are further qualifications to this “eye for an eye” principle, which seem quite radical
and dangerous (Matthew 5:38-42). Such teaching as this might even dissuade some from following Jesus. [This may dissuade others from wholly accepting the relevance of all Jesus’ teaching – if he could say something as unhelpful as this.]

What was Jesus getting at?

If someone who was a right-hander, struck another on the right cheek, this would have to be done back-handed, which in the culture of the day was a huge insult. Jesus is suggesting that if you experience insulting behaviour towards yourself, don’t strike back with vicious words or violent actions – don’t allow your integrity to be compromised in this way. We will not depreciate ourselves to this level of behaviour! Our status is secure within our relationship with God, and no human insult can dent this. The only opinion that really counts is God’s opinion of us. Instead of lashing back at the offender, we show ourselves afresh to be a vulnerable and open disciple of Jesus, unrelenting in our concern for others (ie. ‘turning the other cheek’). As Paul said to the 1st century church in Rome, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”! If we are criminally offended against, then the recriminations will be a matter for the legal processes of our society to sort out, rather than being any distraction for us in our mission to the world.

[Jesus goes on to make reference to those who want to take our coat and beg other goods out of us, suggesting that we should not hold our possessions with such importance, that this gets in the way of our Christian witness or our generous response to those in need. Those who can tend to make life hard for us, say our boss at work, or our teacher at school, those who seem to want to push us further than is fair, can still be responded to in a way that causes them to positively reflect on our good character. Also, one can seek to excel even if the task given to us seemed to be an unfair infringement of our rights. Toughing out the first mile might just lead to some interesting outcomes during the second mile!]

Sometimes we just have to admit that it’s not all about us!

Followers of Jesus should facilitate expressions of utter amazement at the way we respond to personal attacks or unjust actions. Offering forgiveness to someone who has offended against us, can be an immensely powerful dynamic for good!

Returning to the Hebrew Scriptures, I think that Psalm 17 has a lot to say about the sort of attitudes that would help overwhelm some of the tendencies that well up within us desiring revenge. If we want to escape the trap of revenge, and fill our hearts and minds with a more productive and beneficial outlook, we can derive much help from this Psalm!

There is certainly a contrast in this psalm – between the innocent servant of God, and the destructive oppressor who haunts him. Whereas none of us is fully innocent (certainly David wasn’t), we can still be viewed this way as we commit ourselves to God, follow His ways, and seek forgiveness when we fall short. In the big picture of life, with massive evil encircling us, we have the opportunity of joining the psalmist in saying > "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." (v.5)

We can call upon God from this place of innocence and integrity and seek His protection, guidance and help.

1. Knowing God’s Presence

Through verse 1, we can know God is ready to hear our frustrations – we don’t have to suffer the bad treatment of others alone. God knows our innocence and truthfulness, and is a friend to those who are unjustly treated. We should seek God as our refuge in those times of difficulty brought about by others. Rather than striking out from our humanness, we recall the new creation we are becoming in Christ, and trust in God’s help to stay on track. A measure of God’s wondrous love can be glimpsed even in the midst of turmoil (verse 7). Even when the negative aspects of life get to us, we remain the apple of God’s eye, under the ultimate protection of God’s wings (verse 8). Nothing done to us (by friend or foe) can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38).

2. Understanding the broken human condition

Ever since human beings had freewill and moral choices to make, wrong decisions – contrary to God’s will and hurtful to others – have been made. With the accumulation of all this selfishness and unthoughtful behaviour, no wonder there’s so much trouble around us in daily life. No wonder that this touches us so often. Verses 10 to 12, speak with developing concern over a lack of compassion to others, self-centredness, personalised persecution, and dire destructiveness. This is what we would expect from those unconscious of the reality of God and unrestrained by Godly ethics. In this way, life just can’t be fair, even for the most innocent of all.

3. Allowing God to put things right

Verse 2 shows that we should allow God to set things right for us … in His time and in His Way. Only God sees the full picture, all the intermeshed human frailties and hurts that cause such pain and relational breakdown. We can rest in the knowledge that God will honour our integrity before all those with eyes clear enough to see the truth. It was truly only God who could put right the injustice of the cross, by raising Jesus from the dead. We don’t have to remain completely passive of course. We can cry to God for justice to prevail, and injustice to be defeated. It is in this way we become an active part of the solution – not becoming in any way accepting of the destructive behaviour of others, but rather a vocal advocate of the innocent. Those who are caught in purely worldly aspirations will never really find true satisfaction, and eventually will have to face their Creator God.

4. Committing Ourselves to Peace

In verse 4, we read a commitment to the way of peace – to not perpetuating the violence of others. If we follow the path of the violent person, it will always be them and not us that will sense victory, and it will always be them and not God – that control us. The 4th&5th century theologian Pelagius said, “The enemy has overcome you when he makes you like himself”. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and calls us to be peacemakers in the affairs of life (Matthew 5:9). It is the “peacemakers” who are truly sons and daughters of God, as the psalmist David puts it: ‘beholding the likeness of God’. We have to learn satisfaction in our relationship with God, even when we feel cheated in life (verse 15). So we need to creatively find non-violent ways of dealing with the attacks upon our person and our character – understanding that it is not so important how people view us, but much more so how people view God through the way we handle adversity!

This psalm poses two alternative ways of living – satisfying ourselves by seeking to exact revenge for each and every thing that goes wrong in our lives, or satisfying ourselves in the richness of our relationship with God. In verses 13 & 14, the psalmist is able to leave any and all retribution to God – accepting however it will play out, and then reflect on what is most important. It’s there in verse 15. Eugene Peterson translates > "And me? I plan on looking you full in the face. When I get up, I’ll see your full stature, and live heaven on earth."

Can we focus on the beauty of God, can we rejoice in being made in God’s likeness, can we assent to becoming more like Jesus, can we trust God enough to leave justice in His hands?