Recently I had finished studying the book of Obadiah and seen applications to our world today. For those who may be unfamiliar, Obadiah was a prophet who wrote about an event that most scholars believe happened in the 9th century BC, when the Philistines took Israel captive. During this time, God, through Obadiah, rebukes the Edomites and pronounces a stern judgment upon them because of their involvement. An involvement in which the Edomites: rejoiced in Israel’s plight, ransacked the area after the devastation, and not only stopped Israelites from being able to flee, but actually captured them and delivered them into the hands of their oppressors (Obadiah 1:11-14). Because of these actions, God’s stern judgment is that they would be cutoff forever (Obadiah 1:10). It’s such a tragedy to see how the people of Edom rejoiced and persecuted the Israeli people in their distress. And it got me thinking...why was Edom so against Israel?
If we trace the Edomite lineage back to the beginning, we get to the birth of Esau, which happened around 1838 BC. And if you remember the story between Jacob and Esau, there was family tensions from the beginning. Not only did Esau trick Jacob into selling his birthright, but also at the end of their father’s life (Isaac), Jacob tricked his father into believing he was Esau, to get the firstborn blessing, which was culturally reserved for the eldest, which would’ve been Esau. Needless to say, the relationship between the two brothers was very strained. They did end up reconciling later in life, but I wonder how many times do our children, grandchildren, friends, or others, harbor ill-feelings towards another person or group because of how they treated us? Could it be because the Edomites reflect back upon the days of Jacob and Esau and because how they perceived the situation, it led them to be boiled in anger? An anger that carried on through the generations, a hatred towards the Jewish people that lasted over 1,000 years! And if so, could it be said that the Edomites sought revenge against Israel, and when they saw opportunity, they didn’t delay?
Contemplating this thought, I began thinking, what is vengeance, or what does it mean to take revenge? And what place does taking revenge have in the life of a believer? Through these studies, I’ve come to conclude that revenge is simply seeking retribution for something that happened to you. And in this thought, it seems as though revenge is always about retaliation, and never about true justice. So, with this thought, the Edomites merely retaliated against the Jewish people because of their unsubstantiated hatred for them. They didn’t seek true justice, they just wanted to vindicate their ancestor.
So, what should we do when someone seriously wrongs us? Maybe they lie and we lose a job, someone claims we say or did something and a relationship becomes estranged. Does it fuel hatred in our hearts towards that person, and we end up seeking revenge?
The words of the apostle Paul were brought to mind, when he said:
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21, KJV)
Notice a couple things. First, all vengeance belongs to the LORD, not to us. Second, Paul says to “give place unto wrath”, other translations state it like this “leave room for the wrath of God” (NASB95), “leave room for God’s wrath” (CSB). What Paul is saying is when atrocities are committed against us, and hurt us, it generates the wrath of God. And it is within that wrath, that righteous anger, that we are to leave for God to handle and not us. Not only that, Paul tells us to serve the enemy, to love them, and to prevent ourselves from being overcome with evil.
I know, this is an extremely hard concept to act upon. As someone who has been wronged and hurt more times than I can count, I want to exact revenge on those who hurt me. But that isn’t what a Christian is to do.
From this study, I realized we must consider a few questions when we are in the midst of these moments:
Do I trust that justice will come to these evil doers?
Do I trust God is aware of what I am going through?
Do I trust God has a purpose or plan for me in these moments?
In the end, it’s a matter of trust, not feelings, with our relationship with God. Do we trust that He isn’t an absent parent? Do we trust God not only knows, but cares about the situation I am going through? Is it possible that these moments are character-building moments, or days in which I am becoming more like Christ in my plight (Philippians 1:29)? I truly believe that the stronger one’s faith is, the more they are able to release, let go, and let God. If I truly trust in God’s providence, protection, and His care for me and His exacting righteous justice, then I can do what God commands through Scripture: to love my enemies, bless those that curse me, overcome evil with good, and to trust that He alone will make all things right in His time. Those moments are a matter of trust.