Are you sure your enemy is your enemy?
Superheroes are awesome in fiction, but what about in real life? Life isn't a comic book, and God has rules in place for a reason.
Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. (Proverbs 20:22)
I love superhero stories.
It’s my jam. They always have been. There’s a reason I’ve spent more than 30 years writing my superhero series of novels (they won’t ever be finished, but I just consider them my project for heaven).
Superheros and superhero stories are such a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us. The idea of an underdog who steps up to do something impossible that only He has the power to do? And He saves the world? That’s the bread and butter of the superhero genre.
But there’s an element of superhero stories that we don’t talk about as often, and that is the vigilante aspect. It’s a natural tension point in superhero stories because a superhero isn’t someone who has actual law-enforcement authority. They usually work outside the law. And that’s great for fiction, but what about for real life?
Real life vigilantes aren’t so great. They are usually disruptive and dangerous, and usually they are driven by something less than justice: Vengeance.
Human beings are wired to want payback. When someone wrongs us, we have this innate sense of right and wrong that screams for recompense. I think this is part of the eternity that God has put in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We know right from wrong. We know when someone has hurt us that they deserve to be punished. And something in us believes that we are the ones with the right to do the punishing.
But life isn’t a comic book, and God has put rules in place for a reason. God established government in Genesis 9:6 and the rule of law to maintain peace and order within human civilization. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but it does mean that God understands people need shepherds.
But more than that, if the average person took the law into his or her own hands, what is to stop civilization from collapsing in the aftermath? If every person is a nation until himself, that’s basically anarchy. That’s chaos. And chaos is never something that brings honor and glory to God.
So how are we supposed to respond when someone mistreats us or the ones we love? What are we supposed to do when someone hurts us or steals from us or causes us pain? And how are we supposed to handle it if the people in power won’t do anything about it?
Well, what does our verse today say?
Yes. Wait. But don’t just wait; wait on the Lord to handle it. Wait on God to make it right. Ask Him for justice. Cry out to God with your plea for retribution.
Have you read the Psalms? A good percentage of them are all about crying out to God for justice. Many of them plead with God: “How long? How long will this unfairness go on? How long will people who hate me get away with treating me like this?”
You’re in good company, my friend. Those who follow God have always been in the crosshairs of our enemy, and at the same time we are also the ones who are told not to seek vengeance for ourselves.
Why?
Well, are you sure your enemy is actually your enemy? Most of them time, our enemy isn’t who we expect. Because God has told us directly that our enemies are never people. That means our enemy is Satan. That means we have no hope of winning in a fight against him.
Jesus is the only one who can win against Satan, and Jesus already beat him. Now we’re just waiting for the other shoe to fall. And in the mean time, if we lash out against people who are hurting us, we are liable to do more harm than good. Sure it might make us feel better, but are your feelings truly worth destroying another person who was made in God’s image?
Now, please don’t misunderstand. If someone has broken the law, report them. Involve the authorities. God established government and authorities to protect and serve the people. Granted, whether they do a good job is another conversation.
But don’t take the matter into your own hands. You may not understand what’s happening as well as you think you do. Give it to God. Let Him work it out. He will always straighten out the details better than any of us ever could.
And those people who have hurt you, those people who have damaged your family and your reputation and your peace of mind, they won’t get away with it. God will hold them accountable.
Trust Him.
For Deeper Study
Read Leviticus 19:18. What does God say to do in this verse? How does this compare with what most people believe about how the Old Testament talks about revenge?
Read Mark 11:25. What are we supposed to do when we are holding a grudge against someone?
Read Ephesians 6:12. Who are your enemies?
For Reflection
When was a time when you took matters into your own hands to solve a problem?
How would that instance have been different if you had trusted God to work it out instead of interfering?
Why is it so hard to release someone who has hurt us?
Weekly Memory Verse
