Vengeance

post 081

A follow up from the previous post regarding Justice and Tolerance.
In that post we discussed God’s ordained Justice, and we reviewed how “turn the other cheek” is not in conflict with the principle of Justice. But only hinted at how this relates to vengeance. Probably the hardest thing for me to do is to write on a topic in so few words, to fulfill the spirit of a blog!

Define Vengeance;
According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, The Hebrew word Vengeance, used in scripture is defined as; “feminine of the Hebrew word for Revenge; avengement, whether the act or the passion.”
The Hebrew word for Revenge, is defined as; “a primary root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish.”

So how do we distinguish between a Just penalty, and revenge or punishment?
We again are able to understand what the founders and early lawmakers had in mind when we understand the scriptural perspective on the topic.
Our early lawmakers established that revenge was not an acceptable social conduct, but Justice supplied by the judicial branch of our government is.
Why?
Because this is a basic principle laid out in the Christian Bible,
And because this basic principle makes logical sense.

God has not suggested vengeance is not deserved, nor warranted, nor justified.
But God has declared that it is not ours to deal out as individuals.
The first mention of vengeance in the Scriptures is found in Genesis 4
This is the story after Cain killed his brother Abel.
In 4:11-12 God Judges Cain for his murder before man’s social laws were established, and his judgment was as follows;

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” Genesis 4:11-12

God’s judgment was not on Cain alone, but on his entire lineage from that point.
It has been suggested, that the Gypsies are the lineage of Cain. Though I have not verified this, it gives you the idea presented, whomever Cain’s lineage actually is.

Then Cain appeals to God, crying that his punishment is too harsh, and because of it, anyone who finds him as a vagabond (or his people) will kill them.

So God establishes the first law regarding vengeance, and by doing so, makes a distinction between Justice and vengeance.

“And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, (meaning his lineage) vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold….” Genesis 4:15

We see that Justice was done unto Cain by God.
But we also see that justice has a distinct limit, not to be crossed. As shown in the previous post, Justice is a 1:1 ratio. (Leviticus 24:20-21)
We also see in this passage, that if Cain’s descendants are killed because of the results of justice, they should be avenged at the ratio of 7:1
That is a very steep consequence! And a sure deterrent from harming these nomadic people, for the sins of their farther Cain.

So we see that according to God, vengeance, or revenge, is a justifiable retaliation in at least some cases.
But then the story of Cain’s lineage continues until we find a descendant of Cain who misused this protection of the threat of vengeance;
“And Lamech said… Hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Genesis 4:23-24
While God proclaimed the right of vengeance for Cain to be 7:1, Lamech presumptuously proclaimed his own right of vengeance, and since he was proclaiming, he figured; Why not up the ratio while he was at it, to 77:1?!
Lemech’s wickedness has very significant and long lasting consequences we will not get into here, but the point is twofold;
First, that it is God alone who is allowed to proclaim the right of vengeance.
And second, man will tend toward a desire to corrupt a righteous proclamation.

So we see the next time vengeance is recorded in Scripture, is in the Law book of Deuteronomy 32:35
“To me (God) belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.”

God claims the right to distribute vengeance many times in scripture, as recognized by the writer of Psalm 94:1 “O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.”
And the entire Psalm is a very pained cry to God; “LORD how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?” Psalm 94:3-4
But unlike our present government, who claims the right NOT to take action at the border, God promises in the previous verse that "the evil will get theirs" as it where, in the proper time.

Through the study of this scriptural concept we understand that Justice cannot always be had when we want it. Through the study of History we understand at least in part, why that is.
Our Founders also understood this as presented in Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

In this light, our founders understood that if they could create a nation in which the righteous were in authority, Justice could be had as ordained by God.
1st Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, September 1777;
“Gentlemen- It affords me very sensible pleasure to congratulate you on the dawn of that free, mild, and equal government which now begins to rise and break from amidst those clouds of anarchy, confusion, and licentiousness which the arbitrary and violent domination of the King of Great Britain had spread throughout this and the other American States… Will it not appear extraordinary that thirteen colonies, divided by a variety of governments and manners, should immediately become one people, and, though without funds, without magazines (ammunitions), without disciplined troops, in the face of their enemies, unanimously determine to be free, and, undaunted by the power of Great Britain, refer their cause to the justice of the Almighty, and resolve to repel force by force- thereby presenting to the world an illustrious example of magnanimity and virtue scarcely to be paralleled?” *(resource?)

How can I not add here the huge volumes of text proclaiming loudly that our founders both relied on God alone for their existence, and publicly gave him praise for it!?
If ever we needed to read the many writings of our founders regarding their faith, we need to now, for the purpose of bolstering our hope, our faith, and our encouragement that we can expect God to hear our cries and help us in our present battle against the evil that is overtaking our great nation, under God, indivisible… so long as we choose to be those things.

But where then is the validation for revenge?

Revenge, is Justice delayed.
Revenge is how Justice is taken when Justice is not available.
But God, in his great wisdom knows that revenge is the embryonic fluid of Bitterness, and Hate.
And so, for our own health, God has claimed the right of vengeance for himself.
He does not declare vengeance is unwarranted. He does not even demand you refrain from it. He simply declares that it belongs to him, and his followers choose to surrender it to him.

Our founders, and early Law makers, added all this up to conclude that the people are not designed by their Creator, to privately manage revenge. The French revolution is a fair example of vengeance in the hands of the people. Their vengeance against an oppressive government resulted in the very bloody rampage and killing of many, many innocents.
Why was the result of our own revolution from Great Britain so different? Because our revolution remained under the administering of our divinely appointed authority, as our fledgling federal government.
In this way vengeance was avoided, and Justice was accomplished. Read the Declaration of Independence it is not long and the spirit in which they reluctantly entered war was evident.
But when the wicked rule, and Justice is not available, God begs us to leave vengeance in his wise care.
He does not suggest we should write it off as “uncollectible according to God”
God assures us that he will repay! Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30 and many others.
Holy Bible online

So is God unjust for claiming the right to be vengeful when he does not allow it from us?
“…Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?...” Romans 3:5
“God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?” Romans 3:6
It is my opinion, that God delays judgment upon evil men and nations for the purpose of building a case for vengeance. Justice is to be delivered at 1:1. But there are those evils so great that by delaying Justice, the law of vengeance can be applied at the ratio of 7:1.

All this is explained very well in the real life existence of Israel today.
Hezbollah of Lebanon, and Hamas of Gaza, continues to fire hundreds and hundreds of rockets into Israel, The entire Muslim world has declared over and over their desire to "wipe them from the map", Yet Israel continues to “turn the other cheek” while Justice cannot be had at this time.
Sure they get stung again and again until they lash back in a short fit of defense, but they are clearly not the aggressor. They do not possess the spirit of vengeance.
The long history of the Jews shows this trend of horrible abuse, and a retaliation-less demeanor.
According to the Scriptures, God is delaying justice for a number of reasons, it is my opinion that one primary reason is to make way for the law of vengeance. Deuteronomy 32:41, 43, Isaiah 34:8, 35:4, 47:3, Jeremiah 50:28, and many others.
Is this evil on God’s part?
No.
Vengeance is not evil, it is only a vehicle through which evil can take root.
God alone is capable of administering vengeance without being infected by the seeds of evil which would take root in our hearts, were we to take vengeance ourselves.

God Begs you, for your own good, to give your justifiable right for vengeance to God.
Our original government has therefore, in the spirit of obedience and governance by God, made laws discouraging taking vengeance, and a legal system to deal justice in its place.
This is the Christian, and the Christians government’s stand on vengeance.

Our foolish lawmakers today are giving away our nation's authority to administer Justice, and we will soon be powerless to beg God for anything but un-administered vengeance after a long and miserable existence, because we, like the Jews, officially and in practice, have now rejected our Messiah.

Can you yet see how our government, and Christianity are so completely intertwined with deliberate intent by our founders?
Can you yet see the two forces of Good and Evil at play in the nations of the earth?

The Christianity of our founders is as practical and applicable for us today, as it was for them. Their great and amazing accomplishments are wonderful signs indicating they had the right idea.

It is time to choose on which side of this struggle you will stand, by your life choices and conduct, as well as your declaration.