Question 1

What causes people to want to get revenge?

Accepted Answer

Romans 3:9-12, 23Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” . . . For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.The main reason we get angry and want to get revenge is that we are sinners. Naturally, we do what is wrong. Revenge is the reflex of anger. If someone does us wrong, even accidentally, we feel like striking back.Genesis 34:1-2, 5-7, 11-18, 24-31One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her. . . . Jacob’s sons . . . were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. . . . Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there, including Hamor and his son Shechem. . . . Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land . . .” “But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.Often, we want revenge because of a desire for justice. Seeking justice is not wrong, but it is wrong to commit violent acts to accomplish it.Psalm 37:8Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.Proverbs 19:11Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.Mark 6:18-19John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless.Acts 16:18-23Paul . . . turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. . . . They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison.A desire to get even can cause us to seek revenge. Settling the score never works however; it just continues the revenge cycle.Ezekiel 25:15-17“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Philistia have acted against Judah out of bitter revenge and long-standing contempt. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will raise my fist of judgment against the land of the Philistines. I will wipe out the Kerethites and utterly destroy the people who live by the sea. I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the Lord.”Contempt for others can push us to seek revenge against them. Contempt depreciates the other person, making us feel justified in lashing out. Taking revenge is easier when we have lost respect for someone.Genesis 16:5Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”1 Samuel 30:6David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.We can lash out at someone when we blame that person for our problems. When we blame others for our problems, we can feel like attacking them for wronging us.Job 5:2“Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple.”Proverbs 27:3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.Bitterness eats away at anything good within us. When all that is left is the bitterness, we have no qualms about attacking others.

Question 2

Is revenge ever justified?

Accepted Answer

Leviticus 19:18“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”Proverbs 20:22Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.Proverbs 24:29Don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”Taking personal revenge is clearly forbidden by God.Matthew 5:38-45“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”Luke 6:27-36“I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”1 Corinthians 13:4-5Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.1 Thessalonians 5:15See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.1 Peter 3:9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.Not only is taking personal revenge wrong, but God asks us to go even further. We are to repay evil with good.Nahum 1:7-8The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood.Romans 12:17, 19Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. . . . Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.God’s vengeance is not to get back or get even, but to administer righteous discipline and bring justice.Lamentations 3:59You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right.We must leave ultimate justice and revenge to God.Exodus 21:23-25“If there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.”Deuteronomy 19:21“Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”Matthew 5:38-39“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”The often quoted “eye for an eye” verses are not an excuse for, nor are they a rule for, personal revenge. This principle wasn’t established for bringing revenge but, rather, to make sure the any punishment given fit the crime committed. If justice was to prevail, the perpetrator should neither get off the hook for a crime nor be punished too severely. An “eye for an eye” was actually a breakthrough for justice and fairness in ancient times because it prevented arbitrary punishment.Taking revenge is nothing but arbitrary justice. Scripture gives no indication that “an eye for an eye” was meant to be taken literally. In fact, according to Exodus 21:26-27, if a slave’s eye or tooth were knocked out, that slave could go free. The point is that the severity of the punishment should fit the severity of the crime.Romans 12:19Never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.2 Thessalonians 1:5-10God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.Hebrews 10:30-31We know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.Revelation 18:20Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.We do not need to take vengeance into our own hands, for God will judge and punish all wickedness.1 Peter 2:21-23God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.Jesus is our example of refusing to take revenge against those who mistreat us.

Question 3

If revenge is sin, then how can God take vengeance?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 51:6, 56Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don’t get trapped in her punishment! It is the Lord’s time for vengeance; he will repay her in full. . . . Destroying armies come against Babylon. Her mighty men are captured, and their weapons break in their hands. For the Lord is a God who gives just punishment; he always repays in full.Jonah 3:10When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.Nahum 1:2-8The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. . . . The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood.Can a loving, merciful, and compassionate God also be vengeful? The answer lies in a proper understanding of God’s character. Because God is holy, he cannot tolerate sin and evil and therefore must punish all unrighteousness. Because he is merciful, he has not yet destroyed the wicked but allows them the opportunity for repentance and forgiveness. From a human viewpoint, God might appear vengeful. From the viewpoint of true holiness, God is merely administering justice, as is his right.

Question 4

What are the effects of revenge?

Accepted Answer

Judges 15:3-9Samson said, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines.” Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the sheaves and the uncut grain. He also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves. “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “Samson,” was the reply, . . . So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death. “Because you did this,” Samson vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!” So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. . . . The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi.Taking revenge creates a vicious cycle. Revenge demands revenge, and so on in a downward spiral that ends in the destruction of all involved. We should beware that when we want to give the next hit, the revenge that comes back may be more than we can take.2 Samuel 3:26-29Joab then left David and sent messengers to catch up with Abner, asking him to return. They found him at the well of Sirah and brought him back, though David knew nothing about it. When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel. When David heard about it, he declared, “I vow by the Lord that I and my kingdom are forever innocent of this crime against Abner son of Ner. Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May the family of Joab be cursed in every generation with a man who has open sores or leprosy or who walks on crutches or dies by the sword or begs for food!”Psalm 57:6My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it.Proverbs 26:27If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.Revenge has a boomerang effect that will come back to hurt us again and again.Ezekiel 25:12-13“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Edom have sinned greatly by avenging themselves against the people of Judah. Therefore, says the Sovereign Lord, I will raise my fist of judgment against Edom.”Amos 1:11-12This is what the Lord says: “The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords, showing them no mercy. In their rage, they slashed them continually and were unrelenting in their anger. So I will send down fire on Teman, and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.”A spirit of revenge will be punished severely.

Question 5

What should I do instead of taking revenge?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 53:7He [the Messiah] was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.1 Peter 2:21-23God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.Instead of taking revenge, we should follow Jesus’ example of not retaliating. Jesus did not take revenge but fully trusted God to judge fairly. This is the only way for good to come out of a bad situation.1 Samuel 24:3-7At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave! “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.Psalm 35:11-14, 17Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. . . . How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!Psalm 38:12-15My enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery. But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply. For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God.2 Timothy 4:14Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.Instead of taking revenge, we should trust God to work his will and in his time.Leviticus 19:18“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”1 Corinthians 13:5It [love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.1 Peter 4:8Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.Instead of taking revenge, we should show love to those who hurt us. If we focus our lives on loving others no matter what, we will be less likely to seek revenge.Genesis 50:19-21Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.Matthew 18:21-22Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”Luke 23:34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”Acts 7:59-60As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.2 Corinthians 2:5-11I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.Instead of taking revenge, we should forgive those who wrong us.Luke 6:27-28“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”Romans 12:14Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.Instead of taking revenge, we should pray for our enemies. Prayer will help to calm our desire for revenge.Proverbs 25:21-22If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.Romans 12:17-21Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.1 Thessalonians 5:15See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.1 Peter 3:9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.Instead of taking revenge, we should do good to others, even those who hurt us and stand against us. We will be held accountable by God for the revenge we take, and we will be blessed for the good that we do for others.Luke 9:51-56As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.1 Corinthians 6:7Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?Hebrews 10:32-34Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.Instead of taking revenge, we should accept our temporary injuries and offenses and move on.