A Man After God’s Own Heart
#5 - "Avoiding the Road to Revenge"
1 Samuel Chapter24
by Rev. John Hannem,
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"Why did you hit your brother?" "He hit me first and I had to pay him back!" "Wrong! You don't have to pay anyone back." Has that type of conversation ever occurred at your house? It has happened once in a while at mine – sometimes two or three times a day. Some folks are pretty creative when it comes to revenge. Mr. Jones answered his phone at "This is your neighbor, Mr. Smith," said the voice. "Your dog is barking and keeping me awake." Mr. Jones thanked him kindly and hung up. The next morning Mr. Smith's phone rang at exactly "This is Mr. Jones," said the caller. "I just wanted you to know that I don't have a dog." Well that’s revenge. In most cases, however, revenge doesn't work. Often, instead of being sweet revenge, it is very bitter. Yet, trying to get even almost comes naturally to many of us. When we are wronged, something inside of us seems to say, "It is my job to make things right." Maybe some of you are thinking, "Pastor, I know revenge is not good, but if you knew what that person did to me, you would understand why I have to get even."
Let me remind you of three things. First of all, God commands us, commands us, to not pay back people with evil or to take revenge. Romans 12:17-19 says that to seek vengeance is a sin. Secondly, blowing out the other fellow's candle won't make yours shine any brighter. Our life will not be better because we hurt someone who harmed us. Thirdly, revenge has a way of backfiring. Seneca, the Roman sage once said, "He who injured you was either stronger or weaker than you. If he was weaker, spare him; if stronger, spare yourself." When we pay someone back, they usually try to do the same to us. Tragically, our contests of "getting even" often escalate and can lead to real tragedy. All over the world –
Today we are going to look at a man who refused to take revenge, even though the motive and opportunity were clearly there. Once again, we are in the Book of 1 Samuel, and today we are exploring Chapter 24. As we see David's refusal to get even with Saul, I hope it will be a model for us as to how we can avoid the road that leads to revenge. Let's pray that would happen as we look to The Word today.
There are a number of times in 1 Samuel where King Saul is trying to kill David, and Chapter 24 is one of them. Here we see that David refuses to take revenge. Saul and 3000 of his men are hunting David in the hills of the
Friends, our focus today is this: Why was David able to avoid the road to revenge? What kept him from seeking to pay back Saul? Frankly, if I were in David's shoes, if I had been hunted like an animal and now had a chance to put an end to it by killing the hunter, I think I would have done it. If Saul were dead, David would not have to hide in the desert and, in fact, would have been ready to become king of
#1) David has respect even for his enemy. He explains why he spared Saul in Verse 24:10 "This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.'" David's logic is this: God had chosen Saul as king of
But, most importantly, as we think about revenge, David shows us that we need to respect our enemies. Some of you are thinking, "Wait a minute, Pastor. David's enemy was someone who had been anointed king. My enemies are very ordinary folks." But it is still true that we need to learn to look at our enemies as God does. I want you to think of someone who you consider your enemy. If you don't have one, great. But, make sure. Is there anyone whose name you would not mind seeing in the obituary column tomorrow morning? That would qualify as an enemy. So if you have an enemy, is that person a Christian? If so, that individual is a son or daughter of God. You might say, "So what? This person still has been a real pain in my life." But remember, because they are a child of God, you are responsible to love them and treat them as your brother or sister in Christ. Some of you are thinking, "Ha! My enemy is not a Christian. He is not even religious, or she is a pagan." But even those enemies need to be respected. Every human being has been created by God and has been made in His image. Though sin has marred and obscured that image, even an atheist or a murderer bears the image of God.
Francis Schaeffer used to talk about the "mannishness of man." By that he meant there is something very unique about simply being human. In the movie "The Elephant Man" this fellow with a severe physical deformity keeps saying, "I am not an animal; I am not an animal." That is a profound truth. No matter what the evolutionists say, no human being is an animal. Now, we are not gods either. We are creatures, created by the one true God. But we are the highest, the apex, of all that He has made. That is true even of our enemies.
During World War II one of the Allied generals said, "We are not going to win this war unless we can convince our boys that the Germans are not people, but monsters." He was wrong, but fortunately we won the war anyway.
#2) Another reason David does not take revenge is because he is not full of bitterness. David was a man who was willing to forgive. Saul had made several attempts on David's life. Saul had even tossed a few spears at him. Yet, David's goal was reconciliation. Verse 24:8 says, Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. As we read on, it is clear that David does not want to be Saul's enemy. He wants his enemy to become his friend. That is the mark of a man who is not bitter.
Friends, bitterness can be destructive. I believe it is one of the worst sins that Christians struggle with these days. It can keep a Christian from following Christ or from finding joy in living for the Lord. Bitterness is also a cancer that can destroy our life together as a congregation. I know other pastors who serve in churches which are infected with bitterness, and I would never want to trade places with them. So many lousy attitudes and actions flow out of people who are bitter. Bitterness leads to all sorts of terrible stuff. Yet, many people seem to fall into this trap. I think one reason for that is something Paul hints of in Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. If we don't get rid of our anger, if we allow it to grow into bitterness, we give Satan a foothold in our life. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it is not good. It certainly shows that bitterness is a deep spiritual problem, one from which only the Lord can deliver us.
Bitterness leads to a consuming desire for revenge. I remember watching a western movie which was about a man who devoted 25 years of his life to finding and killing the men who had murdered his father. What an empty life! It is so important that we learn to forgive our enemies. Jesus tells us, "Love your enemies. Do good to those who seek to harm you." There are people who do that. During the Korean conflict, the Communists captured a Christian orphanage in
Secondly, by God's grace, we need to forgive the person we feel has wronged us. I know that is easier said than done. If someone has hurt us deeply, it is hard to forgive. But as Christians, we can do it. God gives us some helpful instructions in Ephesians 4:31,32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Over and over again, the New Testament reminds us that it is our experience of being forgiven by God through Jesus Christ which enables us to forgive others. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a man who had been forgiven a debt of a million dollars by his master, but then takes a fellow servant who owes him $10 and throws him into prison. Jesus wants us to see how ridiculous it is for folks who have experienced God's amazing grace and forgiveness to refuse to extend that to others. No matter how you have been hurt by someone, their sin against you is certainly no greater than your sin against God. If we have been forgiven through Christ, we need to forgive. Now, maybe you are here today and have never really experienced God's forgiveness in your life. If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, the bad news is that your sins have not been forgiven. At this point you are still responsible to pay the penalty for those sins. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but the Bible tells us that the penalty for sin against God is eternal death or hell. The good news is this: If you will turn to Jesus Christ, stop trusting in yourself and put your faith in Him, then your sins will be freely and fully forgiven. That is possible because of what Jesus Christ has accomplished through His death and resurrection. Today, no matter who you are or what you have done, you can experience God's amazing grace and forgiveness if you will only receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then you will be able to forgive others as well.
Thirdly, in most cases we need to apologize to the person toward whom we have been bitter. Again, even if he or she has hurt us, we still have wronged them by being bitter. Now, there may be some times when this is not an appropriate thing to do, but usually we should apologize for having a bad attitude toward someone.
#3) Another reason David didn't try to take revenge is because he trusted God. Speaking to Saul he says, 1 Samuel 24:12,15 "May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 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." David is saying, if there is any revenge that is going to be taken, God can do it. I'm not going to do it. I will leave it in the Lord's hands. David is applying what Paul would later write in Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay." says the Lord.
God asks us to agree not to try to get back at that person. Instead, He wants us to trust Him to deal with the situation in the right way. How can we have that type of confidence in the Lord? The same way that I trust my friends. I trust them because I know them. We can trust God when we know Him. The more we get to know God, the more we will trust Him. In the beginning of our relationship with God, we trust Him to save us from eternal death and we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord. As we study the Bible, pray and worship, we get to know God better and our trust grows deeper. As it grows deeper, it enables us to trust God to deal with our enemies, so that we don't ever have to think about taking revenge.
Friends, today I need to ask you: Are you heading down the road to revenge? Maybe there is someone with whom you are angry and you are tempted to try to get back at them. Perhaps someone at work cheated you out of a promotion which should have been yours. Or maybe at home your spouse has been really unfair lately, and you are trying to figure out a way to get back at him or her. Or maybe some other kids from school have been making fun of you and you just want to get even. Whatever the situation, you are on the road to revenge. But remember, that is not God's way. He wants us to get off that road. He wants us to remember how David, in a very difficult situation, with a very determined enemy, still avoided the road to revenge. We need to follow his model. We need to respect our enemies; we need to get rid of bitterness; and we need to trust God to take care of things. If you are thinking about seeking revenge against someone, I encourage you right now to turn to the Lord and seek His help in overcoming the temptation that is facing you. It is important. Because something you say or do as you try to get back at someone can do great harm to that person and to your own soul. With God's help, get off the road to revenge.
Maybe it seems strange to you that we have devoted a whole sermon to the topic of revenge. You may be that type of person who just doesn't act that way. But, when it comes to revenge, an ounce of prevention is worth a whole ton of cure. My hope is that God would use this message to discourage you from even thinking about trying to get even with someone. You know, none of us knows what this next week is going to bring. None of us knows how someone might hurt us. Maybe for the first time in your life you will be tempted to try to pay someone back. But if that happens, remember, revenge is not God's way. Follow David's model and remember that the person who seems to be your enemy deserves your respect because he/she is created in God's image. Don't let bitterness take hold in your life, and trust God to bring about justice in His time. May the Lord always keep us following in His footsteps and off the road to revenge.
Hymn #470 – Footprints of Jesus