Not Seeking Revenge

I'm glad you can join us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voisey, and I've titled our reading today, Not Seeking Revenge. The farmer climbed into his truck and began his morning inspection of the crops. On reaching the farthest edge of the property, his blood began to boil. Someone had used the farm's seclusion to illegally dump their trash.

Again. As he filled the truck with the bags of food scraps, the farmer found an envelope. On it was printed the offender's address.

Here was an opportunity too good to ignore. That night, he drove to the offender's house and filled his garden with not just the dumped trash, but his own. Revenge is sweet, some say.

But is it right? In 1 Samuel 24, David and his men were hiding in a cave to escape a murderous King Saul. When Saul wandered into the same cave to relieve himself, David's men saw a too-good-to-ignore opportunity for David to get revenge. But David went against this desire to get even. The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, he said. When Saul discovered that David chose to spare his life, he was incredulous.

You are more righteous than I, he exclaimed. As we or our loved ones face injustice, opportunities to take revenge on offenders may well come. Will we give in to these desires, as the farmer did, or go against them, like David?

Will we choose righteousness over revenge? Today's scripture reading is from 1 Samuel chapter 24 verses 1 to 4 and 14 to 18. After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, David is in the desert of Engadai. So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the crags of the wild goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way. A cave was there and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, this is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish. Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And now picking up at verse 14. Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog?

A flea? May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it. May he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand. When David finished saying this, Saul asked, is that your voice, David, my son?

And he wept aloud. You are more righteous than I, he said. You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me about the good you did to me. The Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we confess that sometimes when we experience injustice or see it happening to others, part of us really wants to get even. To make them pay. To get revenge. Lord, you taught another way.

One that David also followed. May we pursue justice for ourselves and others your way today. And always. Trusting you to work on our behalf. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.