If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:18-21

The news recently carried the story of a man who, while filling his tank with gasoline, saw a spider crawling inside the fuel door. He hated spiders, so he took out his lighter and set the poor thing on fire. Given the reaction that’s been known to occur when flame meets fuel, you can easily guess the fate of the man’s car, the gas pump, and even the entire gas station. This is the sort of thing I think of when reading,

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’

Only God knows how to do wrath and vengeance. Like the man with the spider, our attempts are oftentimes misguided and end up doing more harm than good.

When it appears that injustice and evil have triumphed, scripture teaches us not to take matters into our own hands but to trust that God will handle the matter far more effectively than we will and with a lot less collateral damage.

While it is always important for us to resist evil and to limit its destructive reach, it is equally important to trust God to do the heavy lifting. It is important to keep in mind that evil is fundamentally self-destructive. There is an important record of this in the picturesque language of the Book of Revelation, where the dragon, beast, and whore lash out against each other.  You don’t have to become like evil to destroy evil. What you need to do is trust God’s wisdom and timing.

If you’re living in a storm of anger, pray for the strength not to be overcome by evil, but

… overcome evil with good.

Questions for Reflection:

Where do you see injustice in the world? What does it mean to you to resist evil and injustice?

What are the signs that people become evil in the way they confront evil?

Prayer:

Gracious Heavenly Father, there are times when I am so deeply offended or wounded by injustice and evil that I lash out against it. Please protect me from my own fits of anger. Please teach me when enough is enough, and when it is time for me to leave room for you to exercise perfect judgment. Amen.

Context:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:14-21