REVENGE IS MINE SAYS THE LORD, DEUTERONOMY 32:35, REVENGE IS GOD’S
What does God mean by Mine is vengeance says the Lord, I will repay, in Deuteronomy 32:35? Vengeance is from God
We exist in a world of duality where many aspects of life occur in pairs. Good and bad. Husband and wife. Hope and despair. Young and old. God and Satan. Within this duality, we also have virtue and sin. One describes what we do well, the other, what we do badly.
We have all committed wrongs against God and other people, but vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will pay the price
If asked, most of us will associate ourselves with positive qualities before saying something negative. Some of us may not say anything negative at all. The truth, however, is that we possess both positive and negative attributes. The negative aspects are what make us sinful (Romans 3:23). If everyone has sinned, then we have all committed wrongs against God and other people.
Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will pay… Vengeance is from God according to the Bible
Laziness, slander, violence, lies, theft, rape, murder, abuse, the list of our collective sins goes on and on. What should we do after the sin has been committed? As Christians, we are quick to say sorry. That is what Christ told Peter when he broached the subject (Matthew 18:22). That’s what we tell ourselves today, but how many of us forgive so quickly? And how many of us forgive so much?… but revenge is mine, says the Lord, I will pay.
MANY TIMES SOCIETY DOES NOT ACT FOR FORGIVENESS BUT FOR REVENGE, BUT REVENGE IS FROM GOD
But vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will pay… vengeance is from God
During a time when cancel culture is popular in America, society is acting not out of forgiveness but out of revenge. Someone has sinned and we want to impose consequences for his wickedness, but revenge is mine, says the Lord, I will pay.
The culture of cancellation or cancel culture “consists of withdrawing support or canceling a person who did or said something offensive or questionable”; However, revenge is mine, says the Lord, I will pay.
Sometimes we want to take revenge but remember that God says revenge is Mine I will pay
Even outside of cancel culture, sometimes when people offend us, we want to hit back. We may ignore someone’s phone call or text, walk past them without speaking, or become abrupt when they speak to us, all in an effort to get even… but vengeance is mine says the Lord.
At a glance, this seems doable. There are consequences for our actions. We have laws and a justice system to hold people accountable. Does not the law take revenge on someone for his misdeeds? Why shouldn’t we?… but let’s remember that mine is revenge, says the Lord, I will pay.
REVENGE IS MINE SAYS THE LORD, IT IS NOT OURS, REVENGE IS GOD’S
Vengeance is mine says the Lord…vengeance is from God
God says revenge is mine, I will pay, that is, that revenge is his, not ours. Although we have a system of laws, any system that does not comply with the Scriptures is not approved by God. And God has not approved that we take personal revenge on people.
Revenge is mine, I will pay, what’s the difference?
What makes God’s revenge so different from ours? What does Scripture mean by the word revenge? With a deeper look at the scriptures, we can get to the root of this verse “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.”
What is the meaning of mine is revenge in Deuteronomy 32:35?
Vengeance is mine, I will pay the price, Deuteronomy 32:35, Vengeance is from God
The book of Deuteronomy was written by Moses. In this chapter, he describes an image of God that, by modern standards, is not very gentle. The prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, presenting a message to the Jews about the unwavering, just, and powerful nature of God. The message is not a prophecy, but rather a song and the character of God we read about is the one who is disgusted with sin. More specifically, God is angry at the sins of his people.
God is aware of the evil deeds of the Jews, they were worshiping false idols. Moses calls out the Jews for their sins by regarding them as a “crooked and wicked generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5-6). He continues to remind them that God is their Father and Creator. When they sinned, they were not recognizing these titles. Instead, they believed in and promoted false gods.
Vengeance is mine says the Lord.. because of sin
Moses wants to remind his people that God has watched their every step. He wants you to believe this truth. He accomplishes this by citing Jacob as an example. Jacob is representative of the Jews. Between verses 10 and 14, we read that God blessed and provided for Jacob. After those lines, Moses goes on to refer to Jeshurun, a poetic name for Israel, saying that the nation rebelled against God. The nation grew fat on God’s blessings, and despite God’s goodness, they rebelled. They provoked God, ignored him, and put other false gods first.
The rebellion made God angry. Moses quotes the Lord a few times in this passage. The quotes present the ways in which God will reward people for his sins. That’s when we read about God’s vengeance and retribution in verse 35 (“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay”).
Vengeance is mine, or the vengeance that God declares is not limited to the Jews
However, when God says “vengeance is mine,” the vengeance God is declaring is not limited to the Jews. Interestingly, in the next line, we read that God “will judge his people” and “and for his servants’ sake he will repent” (Deuteronomy 32:36). This is the kinder side of God, right after reading about his revenge.
God will take revenge on his adversaries, revenge is mine says the Lord, revenge is God’s
In the last stanza of the song, Moses tells Israel that they are God’s people (Deuteronomy 32:43). God will take revenge on his adversaries, for revenge is mine, says the Lord. In this song, we don’t hear from Moses that God wants his people to remove any personal grievances. He is in charge of that, because he said revenge is mine and I will pay.
While we may have a desire for revenge, apparently the Lord does as well. He wants us to leave him in charge; Well, let’s remember that he said “vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” The reason we know this, besides this passage from Moses, is Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness.
WE ARE TOLD MINE IS REVENGE SAYS THE LORD, BUT WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT REVENGE?
The idea of an eye for an eye is eliminated, because revenge is mine says the Lord… revenge is from God
Rethinking the idea of duality, sin is viewed differently in the Old Testament versus the New Testament. From the first, we extract the idea of an eye for an eye. Then, in the New Testament, Jesus pleads for forgiveness (Matthew 5:38-39); Well, revenge is mine, says the Lord, I will pay.
Vengeance belongs to God, for vengeance is mine says the Lord
The song of Moses does not mention any sentiment of an eye for an eye. Vengeance belongs to God. We are told mine is revenge says the Lord. Complementing this idea, in the New Testament we learn that human anger cannot achieve God’s degree of justice (James 1:20).
Considering both the ideas and what God says about sin, we can conclude that revenge is not wrong, but the way we act out our emotions can be. God feels anger, but God is good. We feel angry, but we are not always good.
We could use our anger, but vengeance is mine says the Lord
Therefore, we may feel justified in our anger, but like God’s people of old, our emotions can lead us astray. Since we are sinners, we could use our anger in a way that does not please the Lord, for which we are told mine is the vengeance says the Lord.
The Bible says mine is revenge says the Lord, revenge is from God
The Bible presents several examples of the aforementioned. Moses himself murdered a man after experiencing anger. He decided for himself to take revenge and sinned in the process when the Bible says revenge is mine says the Lord. Only by trusting in God can we ensure that any revenge inflicted is done with justice.
HOW DO WE APPLY THE VERSE ABOUT MINE IS REVENGE TO OUR LIFE?
Relying on God for revenge doesn’t mean we should abolish our legal system.
Having laws and consequences is what the Jews also had. Jesus never asked that we abolish all laws. In fact, America was built on Judeo-Christian values that have been infused into our legal system.
For example, we know that murder, rape, and robbery are wrong because of the Bible, not social standards. Not all societies consider such actions wrong. What was taught in the Bible became law, although that has been changing for the worse in some parts of the country; but let us keep in mind that “vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”
However, where the law and Scripture do not agree, we as Christians know that we must choose God over the law every time. Regarding revenge, God’s Word may require us to reconsider our positions on things like the death penalty.
God is in charge, therefore we are told: Vengeance is mine says the Lord
Also, if God is in charge of revenge, as He says revenge is mine, then we must make sure that we work to forgive others. There are consequences for sin, but God is in charge of them, not us. We don’t need to try to make it up to people who offend us.
MINE IS REVENGE, I WILL GIVE PAYMENT, I WILL PAY, SAYS THE LORD
Vengeance is mine, I will pay… the Lord will pay, revenge belongs to God
Revenge is an idea that most of us are familiar with and even wish for at one time or another. Our desire for revenge is partly why we look up to fictional superheroes like Batman. He and others like him, fictional or not, operate outside the law using “unconventional” methods to get the job done and get justice. We want justice, but we don’t always want to follow God’s way to that end; however, revenge is mine he says the …