ABIGAIL KEEPS DAVID FROM SINNING

PROCLAMATION

“That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself; but when The Lord shall have dealt with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.”  1 Samuel 25:31 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God after the death of the prophet Samuel by Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.  About this time the prophet Samuel dies.  All of Israel gathered to mourn for him, and they buried him in Ramah.  Afterwards, David then left and went down to the wilderness of Paran. (1 Samuel 25:1)  There was a certain rich man named Nabal who lived there with his wife Abigail.  David sent a few of his men to Nabal to greet him and to ask for food for his men.  When they arrived Nabal disrespected them and refused to give them anything.  David was upset when he learned of this because his men had previously protected Nabal’s flock and his shepherds.  David told his men to strap on their swords and he took four hundred men and set out to kill Nabal. (1 Samuel 25:2-13)  One of the servants told Abigail how Nabal had insulted the men.  Abigail acted quickly and had donkeys loaded with bread, and wine, and dressed sheep, and roasted grain, and pressed fig cakes, and headed with her servants to David without telling her husband. (1 Samuel 25:14-19)  When she met David, she got off of her donkey, bowed down, then asked him to pay no attention to her foolish husband Nabal.  She asked him to accept the food which she brought as a gift.  She also asked David not to avenge himself with his own hands and reminded him that he was fighting for The Lord.  (1 Samuel 25:20-31)  David thanked Abigail for keeping him from bloodshed and avenging himself.  He accepted her gifts and sent her away in peace.  The next day she told Nabal that she had stopped David from coming to kill him.  He was shocked, he had a heart attack, and ten days later he died. (1 Samuel 25:32-38)  After he heard that Nabal was dead, David sent word to Abigail to become his wife and she accepted. (1 Samuel 25:39-42)

 

APPLICATION

“… Avenge not yourselves … for as it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  We are not to avenge ourselves whenever someone does wrong to us.  We may be angry, hurt, mad, or upset, but we are to “let go and let God.”  Sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all.  The Bible says for us to “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.  For evildoers shall be cut off …” (Psalm 37:8-9) 

WITH GOD'S HELP SAMSON GETS HIS REVENGE

PROCLAMATION

“… And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.  And Samson said unto them, ‘Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.’ ”  Judges 15:6-7 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  After Samson’s Philistine wife told her people the answer to the riddle, Samson went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men, stripped them of their clothing, and gave the clothes to the thirty Philistine men who were assigned to be his “companions.”  While he was gone Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions. (Judges 14:19-20)  When he returned Samson went to visit his wife but her father would not let him in because she had been given to one of his companions. (Judges 15:1-2)  Angered, Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes, tied a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches, let the foxes loose in the grain fields, and burned up the grain, the vineyards, and the olive groves. (Judges 15:3-5)  When the Philistines found out that he had done this, they burned his wife and her father to death.  Then Samson swore that he would have his revenge on them.  He attacked them and slaughtered many of them before going to a cave to rest. (Judges 15:6-8)  The men of Judah went to Samson to explain to him that the Philistine army had come for him and would attack them if they did not turn him over to them.  So he agreed to be tied up and given to the Philistines. (Judges 15:9-13)  When the Philistines approached him, The Spirit of The Lord came powerfully upon him and he took the jawbone of a donkey and killed three thousand men.  Afterwards, Samson led Israel for twenty years. (Judges 15:14-20)

 

APPLICATION

Being human, it is not easy to be a Christian and behave in a Christ-like manner.  In His Sermon on The Mount, Christ taught that we should love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us. (Matthew 5:44)  We are told to be kind to our enemy, for by doing so we are heaping burning coals upon their head. (Romans 12:20)  The Bible says, “Avenge not yourselves … for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  We need help.

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE THINGS RIGHT

PROCLAMATION

“And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully … because he had defiled Dinah their sister …”  Genesis 34:13 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In chapter thirty-four of The Bible Book of Genesis, Dinah, Jacob’s daughter by Leah, went out to visit the women of the land.  When Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite and prince of the country, saw her and he took her and raped her.  He wanted her for his wife and told his father to get her for him. (Genesis 34:1-4)  When Jacob heard what had happened to Dinah, he did nothing.  When his sons found out what happened, they were shocked and furious. (Genesis 34:4-7)  Soon afterwards, Hamor and Shechem met with Jacob and his sons to ask for Dinah to be Shechem’s wife.  Jacob’s sons told them that they could not give their sister to a man who was not circumcised. (Genesis 34:8-14)  They agreed that if all the males would get circumcised, then they could intermarry and become one people.  Days after all the men were circumcised, Jacob’s sons Simon and Levi took their swords and killed all the men while they were in pain recovering from being circumcised. (Genesis 34:15-26)

 

APPLICATION

Taking something that we like because we want it is not right.  Being intentionally deceitful in our conversation is not right.  Taking our revenge out on someone is not right.  Stealing, lust, rape, fornication, lies and deceit, revenge and vengeance are all sins.  Just because someone does us wrong does not make it okay for us to pay them back.  “… For it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  As the old saying goes, “Two wrongs do not make a right.”  Planning to deceive or intentionally misleading someone is never a good thing.  “Oh what tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” (Author Unknown)  Even if no lie is told, God knows our heart and our intentions, and we can sin with our thoughts.  “… Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he …” (Proverbs 23:7)

THE CUP OF THE WRATH OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends His people: ‘See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of My wrath, you will never drink again.  I will put it into the hands of your tormentors …’”  Isaiah 51:22-23 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah.  Chapter fifty-one of The Bible Book of Isaiah begins with a call to the righteous to look to The Lord, The Rock of their salvation from whom they were carved. (Isaiah 51:1)  He reminds them that He blessed their father Abraham to become the seed of many. (Isaiah 51:2)  He promises to comfort them and to have compassion on them.  He says that He will also restore their ruined cities and wastelands. (Isaiah 51:3)  He encourages them to look to Him for instruction, salvation, and justice.  He tells them to lift up their eyes to the heavens, to listen to Him to learn that which is right, and to take His instruction to heart. (Isaiah 51:4-7)  He says that those whom The Lord has rescued will enter Zion with singing, joy, and gladness. (Isaiah 51:11)  He tells them not to fear mortal man for He is The Almighty Lord their God. (Isaiah 51:12-15)  Then He tells them that they will not drink from the cup of His wrath again, but that He would give the cup to those who torment His people. (Isaiah 51:17-23)

APPLICATION

While we may be suffering now and enduring the wrath of God, if we just keep our hope and faith in The Lord God, (Psalm 130:7) then our storms will pass, and our day of joy will come. (Psalm 30:5)  The day will come when those who do us wrong will get their poetic justice and they will drink from the cup of the wrath of God. (Isaiah 59:18 and Romans 12:19)  

DO NOT HARM THE LORD'S ANOINTED PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.  The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on The Lord’s anointed.  As surely as I valued your life today, so may The Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”  1 Samuel 26:23-24 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After David had spared King Saul’s life and Saul had thanked him, (1 Samuel 24:18-19) they parted company. (1 Samuel 24:22)  However, later the people went to Saul urged him to again pursue David and he did. (1 Samuel 26:1-2)  When Saul and his army had made camp and gone to sleep, David and Abishai crept into Saul’s camp.  Abishai wanted to kill Saul but David would not let him.  They just took Saul’s spear and water jug and left. (1 Samuel 26:8-12)  When he was safely some distance away, David called out to Saul and told him what he had done. (1 Samuel 26:13-16)  For the second time David had the opportunity to kill Saul but he would not harm The Lord God’s anointed King. (1 Samuel 24:11 and 26:23) 

APPLICATION

There are people in this world who wish to do us harm even though we have done nothing to them, nor have we wronged them in any way.  The Lord God will protect us and deliver us from those evil doers. (Psalm 18:17 and 18:48)  And, as hard as this is for us to do, we are taught to love and to pray for our enemies, those who curse us, those who hate us, those who despitefully use us, and those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, and Luke 6:35)  We are not to repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17)  We are definitely not to lay hands on, hurt, or harm any of The Lord God’s anointed individuals. (1 Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15)  He will take care of all those who have wronged us.  “Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay, saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30)  We also are not to rejoice when bad things happen to our enemy. (Proverbs 24:17)  Pray for them.

BLESSED FOR HELPING A MAN OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“David said to Abigail, ‘Praise be to The Lord, The God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.  May you be blessed for your good judgement and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.’”  1 Samuel 25:32-33 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the prophet Samuel died, David left Ramah and went to the wilderness of Paran. (1 Samuel 25:1)  There was a very wealthy man there by the name of Nabal.  David sent ten of his young soldiers to Nabal to ask him for food to feed his men. (1 Samuel 25:8)  However, Nabal insulted them, refused to give them anything, and sent them away empty-handed.  When David was told about this, he ordered four hundred of his men to take their swords and go with him because he planned to kill Nabal and all of his men. (1 Samuel 25:22)  But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife, Abigail, what happened (1 Samuel 25:14-17) and she prepared food for David and his men and took it to them. (1 Samuel 25:18-20)  David blessed her for her actions which kept him from killing her husband.  About ten days later Nabal died and David praised The Lord God for avenging him and keeping him from killing Nabal. (1 Samuel 25:38-39)

APPLICATION

The Lord God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to unfold.  He allows people to come into our lives for a reason, sometimes for a season, to be a blessing to us or to provide a lesson to us.  He allows some things to happen to block our plans in order to keep us from unseen hurt, harm, danger, or sin.  Things that happen to us which we perceive as bad at the time, may in fact be a blessing for us and work out for our benefit.  “All things work together for good to them that love The Lord God, and to them who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

DO NOT REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL BUT WITH A BLESSING

Proclamation:

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”  2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Peter, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)  Peter began this third chapter with instructions on how husbands and wives should treat one another. (1 Peter 3:1-7)  Then he tells them not to repay evil with evil, but to repay evil with a blessing because that is how they will inherit a blessing for themselves.  He goes on to quote King David from Psalm 34 (Psalm 34:12-16) telling them to avoid evil speech, to do that which is good, and to seek peace because the eyes of The Lord God are upon them. (1 Peter 3:10-12)  He ends by telling them to do what is good and to revere the name of The Lord.  For if they suffer for doing that which is right and good, they will be blessed. (1 Peter 3:13-17)  He reminds them that Christ suffered. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Application:

Again we are told in The Word of God that as believers we are not to repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, and 1 Peter 3:9)  The Lord God has said that vengeance belongs to Him and He will repay those who do us wrong. (Romans 12:19)  We are to exercise good Christian conversation and behavior, regardless of that which is shown to us.  If we really want to live life to the fullest and enjoy it, then we need to live in such a way as to do no harm to others but to do them good. (1 Peter 3:10-11)  Know that the eyes of The Lord God are always watching us. (Psalm 34:15 and 1 Peter 3:12)

THE LORD GOD WILL REPAY THOSE WHO TROUBLE BELIEVERS

Proclamation:

“God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.  This will happen when The Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”  2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, in his second letter to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  After he introduces himself and greets them, Paul states that he thanks God for them because their faith in God and their love for one another is growing and increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-3)  He tells them that he brags to other churches about their perseverance and faith in the midst of their persecutions and trials. (2 Thessalonians 1:4)  Then he tells them that God is just and He will pay back trouble to all those who trouble them.  God will punish all non-believers when The Lord Jesus returns. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

Application:

Those who do believers wrong and cause them to suffer will be punished by The Lord God. (Romans 12:19)  The Lord Jesus is coming back to gather up His church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and to judge the wicked.  All mankind will see Him when He returns (Revelation 1:7) but our perspectives will differ.  Some of us will see Him as Savior, while others will see Him as judge.

DO NOT REJOICE WHEN OUR ENEMY SUFFERS

Proclamation:

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or The Lord will see and disapprove and turn His wrath away from them.”  Proverbs 24:17-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon.  In this proverb Solomon continues to record the sayings of the wise men of his day.  This is the twenty-eighth of those sayings.  Here he tells the people not to gloat or be glad when their enemy stumbles and falls.  He states that The Lord disapproves of them rejoicing at the suffering of others.

Application:

Vengeance belongs to The Lord God.  We are not to return evil for the evil done to us. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)  The Lord God said in His Holy Word that He would repay the evil that was done to us. (Romans 12:19)  If He allows us see those who did us wrong get repaid for their wrongdoing, then we should just watch but not rejoice at their suffering.  If we rejoice at their suffering, He may stop punishing them.  It is not Christ-like for us to rejoice at the suffering of another.  We were taught to love our enemies (Luke 6:35) and love does not rejoice in iniquity. (1 Corinthians 13:6)  Additionally, our being good to them will add burning coals upon their heads. (Roman 12:20)  Revenge is our wrongful and sinful passion; The Lord God avenges and applies justice.

THE LORD GOD WILL AVENGE US FOR VENGEANCE IS HIS

Proclamation:

“Do not say. ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for The Lord, and He will avenge you.”  Proverbs 20:22 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here he tells the people not to say that they will pay someone back for doing them wrong.  He reminds them that vengeance belongs to The Lord and He will repay those who do them wrong.

Application:

All of us have been wronged by someone.  Our human nature causes us to want to pay them back for whatever they did to us.  However, as believers, we are not to repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17)  We are not to take revenge on those who do us wrong.  We must allow The Lord God to do that for us.  He has said in His Holy Word, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30) 

ALL LEADERS MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT FOR THEIR USE OF AUTHORITY

Proclamation:

“God presides in the great assembly; He renders judgment among the ‘gods’… The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.  They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”  Psalm 82:1 and 5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Asaph, the director of music during the time of King David, who was also a seer who was said to prophesy. (2 Chronicles 29:30)  This psalm is thought to be written by the psalmist, under a prophetic spirit, who foresaw the great corruption of the judges, rulers, kings, princes, and civil magistrates who abused their power.  They are called ‘gods’ because they see themselves as such.  Their perversion of justice causes the cities, states, countries, and kingdoms to be thrown into disorder and confusion.  The Lord God will preside over “the great assembly”, a gathering of all of the leaders and rulers who will have to give an account for the way they used or abused their authority. (Psalm 82:1)  They will pay for their corruption, they will fall from power and die like the mere mortals that they are. (Psalm 82:6)

Application:

All too often we find ourselves under the leadership of individuals who do not understand that they were put in positions of authority by The Lord God, and they will have to give an account to Him.  The wicked and corrupt leaders, civil and religious, will be cut down like grass and wither away. (Psalm 37:2)  Believers need not worry about them.  They will be judged, and punished for their abuse and misuse of their authority.  There is a righteous God to whom we have recourse, and on whom we may depend, when we have been mistreated by unjust leaders.  When we pray for relief from corrupt and abusive leaders, our prayers are heard and will be answered.  By the wrath of God He will avenge us and repay those who abuse us or cause us harm or suffering. (Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30)

THE JUST JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED LEADERS

Proclamation:

“The righteous will be glad when they are avenged … Then people will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.’”  Psalm 58:10-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David begins this psalm depicting the tyranny of wicked leaders who not only refused to speak up for the righteous but plotted and schemed to make their plight worse. (Psalm 58:1-2)  They tell lies to the people and turn a deaf ear to their words and requests. (Psalms 58:3-5)  David then asks The Lord God to destroy them for their wickedness. (Psalm 58:6-8)  Then he states that the righteous will rejoice when they see the wicked getting their just punishment.  The rest of the world will see this and know that there is a God.

Application:

People in leadership positions should really be very careful with respect to what they say, how they treat people, and with the use or abuse of their power and influence.  Some of them deliberately pervert justice while pretending to uphold it.  Some of them are drunk on the drug of power.  Believers are encouraged to pray for their leaders because they need God’s help and guidance.  Those who do not listen to and heed wise counsel are doomed to failure.  They will pay for their wicked deeds and wrong doings, and for the suffering that they caused the people of God.  The Lord will repay those who do us wrong. (Romans 12:19)  They will soon be cut down like the grass. (Psalm 37:1-2)  The Lord God is still in control.

TAKE YOUR BURDENS TO THE LORD AND LEAVE THEM THERE

Proclamation:

“Cast your cares on The Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”  Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  He begins this psalm with a prayer asking The Lord God to hear him and answer him because he is in distress and suffering because of his enemy. (Psalm 55:1-5)  He states that he wishes that he had wings so that he could fly far away and be at peace in a safe place. (Psalm 55:6-8)  He describes this enemy as a close friend who he used to worship with, probably Ahithophel, who turned on him. (2 Samuel 16:15-23, and Psalm 55:12-14 and 20-21)  His situation has been likened to Judas who turned on Jesus, The Christ.

Application:

It is not clear whether this is The Holy Spirit of God talking to David or if he is just encouraging himself when he says, “Cast your cares on The Lord and He will sustain you.”  Either way it is good advice for all believer to follow.  There are many things which occur in life that are difficult for us to handle.  It is especially difficult when we are “stabbed in the back” by a trusted friend within the family of God. (Psalm 41:9 and 55:13-14)  We need to know that we do not have to bear them alone or at all.  The Lord God can help us and heal us, protect us and provide for us, and He can lighten our load, our mental and physical anguishes.  As the song says, take your burdens to The Lord and leave them there.  All we have to do is pray and ask Him, and then trust Him. (1 Peter 5:6-7)  The Lord will repay those who do us wrong. (Romans 12:19)

OH I WANT TO SEE HIM TO LOOK UPON HIS FACE

Proclamation:

“On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.  For The Lord is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face.”  Psalm 11:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This untitled psalm seems to address the same subject as the previous two psalms, Psalm 9 and Psalm 10.  It addresses the wicked who are preparing to harm the righteous. (Psalm 11:2)  The wicked will also attack and attempt to destroy the foundations of the believers in Christ. (Psalm 11:3)  David made it clear that his trust and refuge is in The Lord.  For The Lord sees the wicked and those who love violence and He will deal with them. (Psalm 11:4-5)  The Lord will raid down fire and brimstone upon them, and in the end they will burn in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8) and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)  However, believers will be rewarded with the pleasure of being with The Lord God and seeing His holy face. (Psalm 17:15)

Application:

The question has been asked, what can the righteous do against the wicked? (Psalm 11:3)  The answer is that we can pray and “kill them with kindness.”  When we treat those who do us wrong with kindness, we “heap burning coals upon their heads.” (Romans 12:20)  The Lord has said that vengeance is His and that He will take care of them. (Romans 12:19)  He will rain down fire and brimstone upon them and they will spend eternity in the lake of fire.  We need not worry about the wicked or the evil doers.  All we need to do is to keep the faith, meditate on His Holy Word, walk in His way, and spread the gospel to others.  If we do this, when our time comes to give an account of our stewardship, we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:23)  This psalm ends with the phrase, “… the upright will see His face.”  It reminds me of the words of an old spiritual song:

“Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face

There to sing forever of His saving grace

On the streets of glory let me lift my voice

Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.”

BRING TO AN END THE VIOLENCE OF THE WICKED

Proclamation:

“Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure; You, the righteous God who probes the minds and hearts.”  Psalm 7:9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  In this psalm David sang to The Lord asking Him to save him from his enemies and to destroy them.  He tells The Lord that if he has done any wrong to his enemies then let them persecute him. (Psalm 7:4-5)  If not, then he wants The Lord to let the wickedness and mischief of his enemies return unto them. (Psalm 7:12-16)  David knows that he is a sinner, but his sins were against God and not his enemies. (Psalm 51:3-4)  He begins this psalm stating that he will put his trust in The Lord, (Psalm 7:1) and he ends it by saying that he will praise The Lord. (Psalm 7:17)

Application:

There is apparently a lot of needless violence and wickedness in the world today.  People are destroying one another for no good reason.  People are killing innocent people who have done them no harm.  Here David prays to The Lord to bring an end to the violence of the wicked people to make this world a more secure place for the righteous people.  However, God did not promise us a peaceful world.  In fact The Bible teaches us that every man born of a woman will live but a few days and those days would be full of trouble. (Job 14:1)  Jesus said that His followers would be hated because the world hated Him. (John 15:19)  It would be nice if the world were free from violence, but that is not likely to happen.  It would be better for us to pray for God’s protection during the storms of life than to pray that there were no storms.  But, there will come a day when the wicked shall cease from troubling God’s people and the weary believers shall be at rest. (Job 3:17)  The Lord will deal with the wicked individuals. (Romans 12:19)  The wicked people and the evil doers will soon be no more. (Psalm 37:1-2)  One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth where only the righteous will dwell. (2 Peter 3:13)  So, for the time being, let us keep our trust in The Lord and continue to praise His holy and righteous name.

VENGEANCE BELONGS TO THE LORD

Proclamation:

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in The LORD will inherit the land."  Psalms 37:8-9 (NIV)

Explanation:

King David wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the people of God.  David was admonishing the believers to refrain from getting angry and to change their behavior and turn away from their wrath.  He said that those things would only lead to evil and sinful behavior.  The Lord God will deal harshly with evil men, and He will bless those who follow Him and walk in His way.

Application:
As hard as it is for us to do this, we need to control our natural human behavior and not give in to our sinful nature.  Some people can really upset us, and annoy us, but we need to refrain from getting angry, and we need to control our wrath.  When we get out of control, we do not behave in a very Christ-like manner.  As believers, we are not to return evil for evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)  We are to turn away from evil, and do that which is good. (Psalms 34:14 and 37:27)  God will take care of those who do wrong, and those who do wrong to us. (Romans 12:19)   We are to turn the other cheek, (Matthew 5:39) and we are to "kill them with kindness", and let God rain down burning coals upon their heads. (Romans 12:17-21)  He may even allow us to see them get what they deserve, (Psalms 37:34) as long as we do not rejoice when we see them suffer. (Proverbs 24:17-18)  We are not to avenge ourselves, we are to leave that to The Lord and the wrath of God.  Vengeance is not ours, it belongs to The Lord. (Romans 12:19)

DON'T LAUGH WHEN ENEMIES FALL

Proclamation:

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or The Lord will see and disapprove and turn His wrath away from him.” Proverbs 24:17-18

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live.  The Lord sees the people who do wrong to the saints and they will be punished.  He said that the wicked shall stumble and fall and be brought down by calamity. (Proverbs 24:16)  Then he told them that if you are blessed to see your enemy fall, don’t gloat or rejoice over their misfortune.  Their doing that would displease The Lord and He will stop punishing their enemy.

Application:

We shouldn't be happy and celebrate when bad things happen to our enemies.  Gloating over a fallen enemy can be a more serious problem than the sin that our enemy committed when they did us wrong.  That would not be good Christian behavior and it would displease The Lord.  Additionally, that would cause The Lord to stop punishing them and that is not what we want Him to do.  In fact, what we should do is be nice to them.  The Bible teaches us that we are to love our enemies, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them (Matthew 24:43-45).  By being good to them we bring shame and more punishment to them and we “… heap burning coals of fire on their head.” (Romans 12:20)  Don't make God mad by laughing at someone who is getting their punishment for doing wrong.  Let God handle it and them.  It is written, "… Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith The Lord." (Romans 12:19 KJV)  He also said "... It is mine to avenge; I will repay …” (Hebrews 10:30)  So, don’t laugh at them and ruin everything.

Vengeance Belongs To The Lord

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in The LORD will inherit the land."  Psalms 37:8-9 (NIV)

Here King David was admonishing the believers to refrain from getting angry, and to change their behavior and turn away from their wrath.  He said that those things would only lead to evil and sinful behavior.  The Lord God will deal harshly with evil men, and He will bless those who follow Him and walk in His way.

As hard as it is to do this, we need to control our natural human behavior and not give in to our sinful nature.  Some people can really upset us, and annoy us, but we need to refrain from getting angry, and we need to control our wrath.  When we get out of control, we do not behave in a very Christ-like manner.  As believers, we are not to return evil for evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)  We are to turn away from evil, and do that which is good. (Psalms 34:14 and 37:27)  God will take care of those who do wrong, and those who do wrong to us. (Romans 12:19)   We are to turn the other cheek, (Matthew 5:39), and we are to "kill them with kindness", and let God rain down burning coals upon their heads. (Romans 12:17-21)  He may allow us to see them get what they deserve, (Psalms 37:34), as long as we do not rejoice when we see them suffer. (Proverbs 24:17-18)  Vengeance is not ours, it belongs to The Lord.

Be Kind To Your Enemies

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and The LORD will reward you."  Proverbs 25:21-22 (NIV)

King Solomon told the people that they should be kind to their enemies.  Feed them when they are hungry and give them a drink when they are thirsty.  By being kind to their enemies, they will leave vengeance to The Lord and He will reward them and punish their enemies.

We are not to treat people like they treat us.  We are to love our families, our neighbors, our brothers,
and our enemies as Christ has taught us. (Matthew 5:43-44)  God will take care of those who do wrong to us.  (Deuteronomy 32:35)  By being kind to our enemies, we are in effect, "killing them with kindness."  We are not to repay them for the wrong done to us. (Romans 12:19)  Most of us have to pray for God's help to control our natural human response to get even with those who have done us wrong.  So, let's pray and pray to be more Christ-like and love everyone.