Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! I know that you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. Psalm 41: 10-12 NLT
Make me well again so I can pay them back!
What kind of thinking is this? I want to be healed so I can exact revenge? Does God really honor that?
The psalmist seems to think so. The psalmist knows that God is pleased with him because the enemy has not completely done him in. The psalmist understands that God knows he is innocent because his life has been preserved.
Being innocent, knowing that God has your back, seeing God's saving grace as part of your relationship are all good things. But I am not so sure about this plan of revenge. Shoudn't we either let God take care of those people or should we be about forgiving them? Certainly, Jesus did not condemn us. Should we condemn others?
God, sometimes scripture is so hard to understand. When the Old Testament rubs the New Testament the wrong way, help us to struggle with these opposing ideas and show us your way. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
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