«For we know Him who said, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord».
Hebrews 10:30
I HAD always heard that one should not argue with a cook or a barber, but now I will also have to add a builder to the list. A family in Leicester, England, had finally bought the house of their dreams in the exclusive Stoneygate neighborhood. After paying £475,OOO for the house, the owner hired a builder because he wanted «a two-storey extension, a new roof, new wiring and for it to be more environmentally-friendly.» Everything appeared to be going well until the owner disagreed with the builder, who demanded an additional £3,500, which the owner simply refused to pay.
Not thinking the situation might escalate, the homeowner and his family went on a well-earned vacation. And that was when the builder’s vengeance came. He went to the house with his workers and machines, and left the property as if it had been bombed during the Second World War.* He definitely carried out a devastating revenge.
A desire for vengeance in natural in us, and allowing ourselves to be controlled by it doesn’t bring about anything good. The wise man encourages us to never say «l will repay evil» (Proverbs 20:22). And Paul adds, «Do not take revenge, my dear friends» (Romans 12:19, NIV). What should we do with a person who has harmed us? The Bible is very clear: If he is «hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head» (Romans 12:20). John A. Witmer says that «coals of fire» on someone’s head «may refer to a ritual in Egypt in which someone showed his repentance by carrying a pot of burning coal on his head.»» When we decide not to take vengeance and to deal kindly with the one who has harmed us, we are,contributing toward that person’s repentance, and are thus overcoming «evil with good» (Romans 12:21).
In Las armas de la hermosura [The weapons of beauty], Calderon de la Barca said, «The compensation of the most serious and scrupulous nobleman does not lie in the fact that he exacted revenge, but that he could.» If today we feel the desire to take vengeance, let’s cast it aside and trust in God’s promise: » Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord» (Hebrews 10:30).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernández
