READ: 1 SAMUEL 24:8-15
“That be far
from You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and
that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from You: Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Our God is the Judge of the whole earth. On way to put
somebody into trouble is by handing him over to God to Judge. He is the
Righteous Judge who ensures justice in every case that comes before Him (2
Timothy 4:8). He does not only judge actions, He considers all the facts
available and unavailable, seen and unseen, before passing His verdict. Hence
His verdict cannot be faulted. While on earth, Jesus Christ pronounced fautless
judgements because He followed the steps of the Father (John 5:30). If you can
rely on the Spirit of Truth, you can never go into error.
Proverbs 20:22 says when somebody offends you, do not revenge but hand the situation over to God. If someone deliberately cheats you, do not fight him; hand him over to God. The Lord will repay (Romans 12:19-21). David had opportunity of killing king Saul in our reading but he chose to hand him over to God for judgement. People think God is too slow to judge so they prefer to do it themselves but 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 says God must judge those who trouble His children and He sometimes does this with fire. No wonder Hebrews 12:29 calls Him a consuming fire.
It is preferable to allow God judge those wrong you for these reasons: God knows when a deed is deliberate or by mistake but you may not have that knowledge. Avenging yourself on your enemy runs contrary to your nature as a sheep. It is a goat that will fight back, not a sheep. Sheep allow God to judge their enemies. It is only God that can reward your offender adequately. God may choose to remember his past offences because he offended you, and therefore give him a bigger punishment than you think he deserves. God may decide to give him another chance before dealing with him. If you revenge, you could start a chain of retaliatory measures that could spoil your Christian testimony. The process of revenge may end up in sins of hatred, anger, murder and make you a candidate of God’s judgement. If God judges and kills your offender, for instance, nobody will tie it up to you. But if you kill your opponent, you will be arrested and executed. From today, hand over your offenders to God. By the time God starts, you will be pleading for them, saying, ‘it is too much!’
Proverbs 20:22 says when somebody offends you, do not revenge but hand the situation over to God. If someone deliberately cheats you, do not fight him; hand him over to God. The Lord will repay (Romans 12:19-21). David had opportunity of killing king Saul in our reading but he chose to hand him over to God for judgement. People think God is too slow to judge so they prefer to do it themselves but 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 says God must judge those who trouble His children and He sometimes does this with fire. No wonder Hebrews 12:29 calls Him a consuming fire.
It is preferable to allow God judge those wrong you for these reasons: God knows when a deed is deliberate or by mistake but you may not have that knowledge. Avenging yourself on your enemy runs contrary to your nature as a sheep. It is a goat that will fight back, not a sheep. Sheep allow God to judge their enemies. It is only God that can reward your offender adequately. God may choose to remember his past offences because he offended you, and therefore give him a bigger punishment than you think he deserves. God may decide to give him another chance before dealing with him. If you revenge, you could start a chain of retaliatory measures that could spoil your Christian testimony. The process of revenge may end up in sins of hatred, anger, murder and make you a candidate of God’s judgement. If God judges and kills your offender, for instance, nobody will tie it up to you. But if you kill your opponent, you will be arrested and executed. From today, hand over your offenders to God. By the time God starts, you will be pleading for them, saying, ‘it is too much!’
MEMORIZE:
JEREMIAH 29:11 –For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
