To Whom Vengeance Belongeth

Psalm 94:1, “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.”

Today’s thought is on a word that appears twice in this verse—vengeance. Vengeance is defined as, “Punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.” A simple one-word definition would be, “Revenge.”

This verse says that vengeance belongs to God. How many times do we see someone make a bad decision in their life out of revenge? If we think about it, I’m sure we can all think of situations where this has happened. However, they should not be our mindset when we are wronged. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” We are to be good to those that wrong us.

We are not to retaliate or seek revenge. Matthew 5:39 states, “…but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Seeking revenge is not something that we ought to do. God will cause those that do wrong to face the consequences of their actions. Romans 12:19 states, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Remember, revenge is not part of our role as a Christian. However, trusting God is. If we truly trust God and believe He will do what He says, vengeance will take care of itself. How are we doing in the area of revenge? Are we taking things into our own hands or are we trusting that God will take care of it? Let us allow the Lord to do what he says He will do instead of seeking revenge on others.