OT Promise 371: Repay and Save

Proverbs 20:22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he will save thee.

It is a natural response in the heart of every sinful human to get revenge, to get even, to pay back for any offense, any wrong, any loss. But it not up to us. It up to God and to the proper government authorities to see justice done. “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.” We are never allowed to take the law into our own hands, to get even, or to take an “eye for an eye.”

God promises to see justice done, to set things to rights, to make things square, to even up accounts, and to take vengeance. And He will do it, perfectly. The problem is that we don’t believe the promise and trust Him to do it. So we do it; we repay evil. We think it will assuage our anger and make us feel better, but it doesn’t work.

David was a man after God’s heart. He refused to repay the evil of Saul when given the chance. His example is good for us: with patience and time the Lord kept His promise, saw justice done, and lifted David to kingship. Even if takes until eternity, the Lord will repay evil and save us.

Ultimately, trust the promise: the Lord will save you from the enemies that want to harm you, hurt you, and kill you seriously and eternally. When justice was meted out upon Sin, Satan, and Death at the cross, evil is paid back and we are saved from it forever. We gradually learn the practical lesson: let go and let God, give it to God and don’t take back, trust God and don’t try it yourself. God keeps promises.