I Samuel 24:12
“May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord take vengeance on you for me, but my hand shall not be against you.”
'Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, "Vengeance is Mine", says the Lord, "I will repay"', (Romans 12:19). David is practicing this. He believed the Lord delivered Saul into his hands. Everyone saw this. Even Saul didn't contest it. But David wouldn't take the next step to kill him.
David seemed to test it. He agreed with his men that God had delivered Saul, so he quietly walked up to him and cut off his robe. It didn't feel right, so he retreated and let Saul go. He wouldn't avenge himself.
The Lord doesn't want us in the business of vengeance. Part of us wants to. We've all been embarrassed by another and we've fantasized about how to get back at them. However, it rarely goes how we imagine. If we are successful, then we've set the opposite in motion. That person wants revenge on us. It may return more harshly or our car might get keyed. They will get their pound of flesh.
The movies would paint us a coward, if we don't engage in this foolishness. We are not taking our orders from the world. Got does not want us to take vengeance. Jesus didn't. He could have on many occasions. Instead He said, "Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do".
God's command is to love. He told us to do this even as we love ourselves. We will encounter difficult people. With those we are told to turn the cheek or to go the second mile. I know this seems difficult. We have a great God.
This doesn't mean we stand there and take it. We aren't to trust them. We can establish our boundaries. Put some distance between them. However, it may be a family member or a coworker whom we have to work with. We are not to harbor resentment. This will require prayer. Always take the high road.
Jesus gave us another example, "When they heaped abuse upon Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He offered no threats, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly", (I Peter 2:23). We are to do the same, trust God. He's working in both of us. He's trying to reach the bully and to teach us to love difficult people.
David did it. Many of his men may have boasted about how they would have pierced Saul through. We aren't to let boastful words move us. It's between us and God. We answer to Him. David practiced bold obedience. Nothing quiet about it. He even rebuked his men a few verses earlier for prompting him. If we feel the pressure to conform, we may need to respond in strength.
This is another blessing God gives us. He wants us to give Him the burden of evening a score. He knows it'll eat us up or intensify the battle. This is one more burden He wants to remove from our backs. Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give You rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me for I am meek and lowly of heart and you will find rest for Your souls", (Matthew 11:28-30). He wants to exchange an inner world of plotting and vengeance for rest. He wants our hearts to be of the tune of the gentle wind and the calming stream. What a great God.
Lord, thank You for taking vengeance from us. Help us in obeying You. Thank You for David's strong example. Help us to be committed to loving others as strongly.