2 - The Bible forbids all vengeance, retaliation, and all feelings of hate.
The taking of life is not the only aspect of war that
the Bible forbids. The Bible does not give anyone license to return evil
for evil.
"Do not say, ‘I'll pay you back for this wrong!’
Wait for the Lord" (Prov. 20:22 NLT).
"Do not say, ‘I'll do to him as he has done
to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did’" (Prov. 24:29
NLT).
Whatever anyone may do to us, we have no right to retaliate.
The law God gave to Moses for Israel allowed retaliation
but put a restraint on it: The retaliation could never be more than the
original act. It allowed only "eye for an eye" and "tooth
for a tooth."
In Matthew 5 Jesus also spoke against all retaliation.
He quoted Moses’ law and then said,
" But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you
on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matt. 5:38—39).
Injuries, even repeated injuries, should not be resented. The mere fact
that a wrong has been done does not give one license to do another wrong.
This is the gospel Jesus practiced as well as preached.
We read that Christ "when He was reviled, did not revile in return;
when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who
judges righteously" (1 Pet. 2:22—23) –imagine that attitude
when His persecutors were taking His life!
How does one get requital for wrongdoing or injustice?
Leave it to God.
Vengeance is the right of God, and not of any man or
woman. ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord’"
(Rom. 12:19).
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