On October 10, 2000, a certain Sam Klepper of Amsterdam became the victim of an act of revenge by the criminal circuit. For several days afterwards, the papers were filled with obituary ads. One of these contained an anonymous message: “Nessuno attacco noi senza essere punit” — “No one who attacks us will remain unpunished.” Sam’s death will be avenged; the reprisal calls for vengeance. It is as if you hear echoes of Lamech’s song: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me” (Genesis 4:23). A vendetta is born, an endless blood feud that always hits back. This vindictiveness poisons the entire criminal world. Does it remain confined to that world, or does it accompany crime as it spreads throughout all of society? Will Lamech’s song become the guideline?

An Example⤒🔗

It is not only revenge that calls for counter-revenge. It starts when crime, whether big or small, corrupts our life. Some cultures recognize the right to “honour crimes” when someone’s honour has been violated. Sympathy is quickly shown for a father who avenges the crime against his daughter. How great would the demand for revenge be of women who have been raped by enemies? Of widows whose husbands were murdered? And of children who discover that they have been scarred for life? Doesn’t a society call out in impotent rage for revenge when a child has been kidnapped, abused and killed?

The apostle Paul directs us in Scripture to the example of Christ. When he was mocked, he did not react in kind. He did not threaten when people let him suffer. He has endured everything like a lamb that is silent before its shearers, as Isaiah said. And yet he did not deserve this suffering: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). He is our example. Contrary to our desire for revenge, we have to follow in his footsteps.

Paul writes the same message to the church at Rome: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:19) — even though there was reason for revenge! We read of oppression and tribulation (Romans 12:12), of people who persecute (verse 14), of those who did evil to the congregation (verse 17), and of enemies (verse 20). Apparently, the situation in Rome looked much the same as the situation of the believers to whom Peter wrote. Paul forbids us to avenge ourselves. But it is as if he realizes the difficulty of this prohibition for our feeling of revenge. He addresses the brothers and sisters here — except for in the salutation, the only time in this letter! — as “beloved.” It is exactly here where he makes us aware that this is a command of love. He is not guided by harshness or incomprehension. He does not want to do injustice to feelings of revenge. But there is another way than that of vengeance.

Outdated?←⤒🔗

Why does Paul forbid taking revenge? The example of the Lord Jesus does not appear to make a strong case. In our eyes he is like a defenceless victim. He looks like a softie who takes things lying down, a loser, not sufficiently assertive to make it in this hard society. Who wants a softie as an example, a loser as saviour?

Christ’s attitude appears so different from the harsh stories of the Old Testament. There you read about revenge and how bloodily it was carried out. Modern man looks at this with revulsion. In those days they were even singing of revenge in the psalms of David. It is plain to see in what you sing, for example in Psalm 28, 58, or 109. Many believers have a hard time singing these. Can you still sing this today? This is how the contrast is often made: that the New Testament proclaims love, while the Old testifies of wrath. In those days there was vengeance; now there is forgiveness. In the past, enmity dominated; now it is reconciliation. Has revenge become outdated with the coming of the new covenant?

That is an intriguing question. Certainly when we see that crime is increasing, and the state society brings a feeling of uncertainty and lack of safety. Perhaps we shrug our shoulders about a settling of accounts between criminal operations. But what if it concerns innocent citizens? Isn’t there a justifiable need for revenge for these victims? An honest need for retaliation? What would the gospel be like if it only says that wrath and vengeance are outdated?

A Lasting Promise←⤒🔗

It is important to note how Paul motivates this prohibition for revenge to the Romans: “For it is written.” He appeals to Scripture and quotes from the song that Moses composed at the occasion of his farewell (Deuteronomy 32). The apostle of the new covenant bases his restriction on the great prophet of the old covenant!

It is a mighty song that Moses was singing. Uncompromisingly it deals with God’s vengeance (besides other matters). Paul quotes, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense” (Deuteronomy 32:35). Moses introduces a personification of the Lord into his song. That could be seen as poetic license, yet there is more to it. It is indeed a case of “Thus says the Lord!” as Paul says. By way of Moses, God is saying,

‘Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.Deuteronomy 32:35, 36

Moses says, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense,” while Paul writes, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (emphasis added) (Romans 12:19, see Hebrews 10:30). The apostle formulates it slightly differently. However, it is clear from the continuation of Deuteronomy 32 that the Lord is about to do something. He will take revenge. In essence, Paul summarizes this continuation: The Lord will take revenge — that is his promise.

Not only is a promise made. The first thing we note is that the exercise of revenge is something that belongs to the Lord. Here God’s justice is proclaimed, and this is an exclusive right: “I will repay!” God alone has the right to take vengeance. In this divine right the divine promise of revenge is founded. The Lord, who has the right, also will make use of this right! He will not ignore it, and neither will he forget it. He will take revenge.

In addition, this promise receives extraordinary power when we continue to listen to Moses’ song. That is when we hear the Lord saying, “For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, ‘As I live forever, if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me’” (Deuteronomy 32:40-41). God swears! With his oath he wants to assure his people that the promise of his wrath is true and sure.

It is with this promise that Paul motivates his prohibition of revenge. Clearly the old promise is still in effect and has not been repealed. It did not stay behind at the threshold of the new covenant. For Christ’s church it is not outdated. This promise of revenge is still so powerful that the apostle can deduce some practical instructions from it for the concrete attitude of the congregation in view of the crimes that are still committed against it. This instruction is: do not take vengeance, but “leave room for wrath.” Because this is motivated by God’s promise of revenge, it cannot be understood in any other way than that Paul implies that the congregation needs to leave room for God’s anger. The church may not hinder the Lord by taking its own measures of revenge. It may not take God’s justice in its own hand. The vengeance needs to remain where it belongs: with the Lord, and with him alone.

The background of Paul’s prohibition is therefore not that revenge is outdated. And the focus of his admonition is not that in the new covenant you may only go through life without revenge. He does not negate the need for revenge, and he does not insist that we push this feeling of revenge away or that we ignore it. The background for this command remains in the lasting promise, and the key is that we leave revenge to the Lord, and therefore we may bring it — and need to bring it — before God’s throne.

This fully agrees with Christ’s example. It is not just that the Lord did not scold back in reaction, or that he did not threaten. Peter tells us what the Lord did do: “He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). The Lord took his refuge not in words or deeds of revenge but instead went to the Supreme Court of the most high Justice: the almighty God who promised vengeance.

Struggle←⤒🔗

The gospel points us to the way we may go with our feelings of revenge. It is the way to God. David wrote imprecatory psalms, which many deem indigestible. But his psalms are also prayers! He deposited his wrath before God. He went the way that Christ would follow later on. David prayed for revenge on a Christian level!

And this was a struggle! We read of how at one time he wanted to take revenge, in honest indignation and anger, on Nabal, the fool. As a saving angel, he found Abigail on his way. At the very last moment, she succeeded in preventing David from having blood on his hands by taking justice into his own hands (1 Samuel 25:26). The praying Christian was about to sin against his own songs! But we also know David as the man who received the opportunity — twice! — to revenge himself on his archenemy Saul (1 Samuel 24 and 26). How much misery had he not experienced from Saul! He did not do it, even though his friends spurred him on and wanted to do the dirty work for him. Then you definitely see him walking the way of Christ, the way of powerful faith. He leaves vengeance to God, who has heard him. God struck both Nabal and Saul.

It is a struggle to leave room for the wrath of God. In this struggle old and new come to stand opposed to each other in a completely different way. On the one side, there is the mentality of Lamech who sang about self-revenge. And on the other side, there is also the Spirit of Christ who teaches us to follow in the footsteps of Christ, trusting in the promised vengeance of God. It is here that the struggle between old and new takes place. Also, in our need for revenge, the old man needs to be put off, through faith in Christ, and the new man needs to be put on, recreated in Christ’s image.

Servant←⤒🔗

This also teaches us to see the exercise of revenge as belonging to our God. The room we need to leave for God does not imply a vacuum without revenge until the last day. Even though the final jurisdiction will take place that day, God also exercises his wrath on the way to that day. In this way, Israel inherited the promised land. That was God’s vengeance. The sins of the Amorites reached its full measure (Genesis 15:16). God also arranged justice among his own people. For example, with it he restrained the unbridled blood feuds by providing cities of refuge as places of escape and justice (Numbers 35). David, who did not want to avenge himself, did punish many a crime, and avenged injustice as king, within his jurisdiction. Such was his office.

The apostle Paul writes that the Romans were not to avenge themselves, but also that the government is in service of God as “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). Where it concerns a crime, the authorities are nothing less than the executioners of God’s wrath! It does not have its “armed force” (the sword) for nothing. At the same time, it is God’s sword. When you leave room for God’s wrath, you will also leave room for the authority and its ministry. When you follow Christ and do not avenge yourself, you need to pray for the government and its institution of justice in its struggle against crime and violence. It should not be foreign for a Christian to seek justice against crime by the civil authorities, and to expect justice from it.

In the meantime, the wrath of God is not eradicated by the jurisdiction of the authorities. They can fail. Justice does not always succeed in sentencing criminals. Criminals can be acquitted through lawyers. A sentence can be so insufficient that our sense of justice has not been met. Authorities and magistrates can even misuse their powers and in doing so create injustice themselves. At times they declare themselves inviolable from the law. Fortunately, God is greater than the authorities. His servant will be called to account (Psalm 52, 82). No crime goes unpunished before the heavenly court, not one criminal walks free. For God has promised revenge.

Fiery Coals←⤒🔗

Not only does Paul prohibit taking revenge ourselves, he also gives a command along with it. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 13:20). You are to provide food and drink to your enemy. He too cannot live without it. These two gifts are examples of gifts in which you reveal that instead of wrath, you show love to your enemies, as the Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:44). With the promise of revenge, which has been preserved from the Old Testament, the love that Christ taught us does not disappear. On the contrary. But how would you be able to show love when you do not know where to go with your feelings of revenge? By leaving room for wrath with God, there is now room to demonstrate Christ’s love. He prayed for his enemies and loved them.

For many people this is folly. Those who sing the song of Lamech will not understand this. But in the meantime, this is the wisdom of God’s Spirit. The apostle derives this wisdom from the book of Proverbs (25:21-22). It shows what the showing of love looks like: fiery coals on someone’s head. That will make you feel warm. It leaves you with an uneasy feeling. Just imagine: when you have done something wrong to someone, you would expect an angry reaction. And yet you receive a friendly reply. They might be ready to kill you! And yet they help you to stay alive. Of course, they will hate you. And yet, they show nothing but kindness and love. Wouldn’t a man feel quite squirmy, and wouldn’t he be ashamed for what he has done?

When king Saul learned that David had spared his life his hate melted away on account of David’s love. Later on, it appeared that this was only temporarily. Yet he was ashamed for persecuting David. Fiery coals change enemies into friends. The one who heaps up fiery coals reflects God. Every day he lets the sun rise on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45): undeserved goodness, also for his enemies. He practices patience because he does not wish that some should perish, but that everyone should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). His forbearance leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). Leaving room for God is also leaving room for his patience. We may fill that room by using fiery coals to make our enemy feel ashamed and to win him for Christ. That is the victory over evil.

Victory←⤒🔗

It does not appear that evil can be conquered. Rather it looks like evil will conquer the world. “Nessuno attacco noi senza essere punit,” says Lamech’s spirit. It made itself felt in a city like Amsterdam. How often is there not a case of criminal vengeance? Crime invites revenge. It can govern your heart, your feelings, your thoughts and your actions. Some parts of this world have become inhabitable because hate has become the motto of such places. Profound conflicts between peoples and tribes are carryed on because revenge inspires the opposing parties. Massacres are born out of hate. Evil is a deadly danger, seeking the other’s blood.

The apostle encourages us not to let ourselves be conquered by evil, but instead overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:21). Through love’s goodness you may reveal how terrible the nature of evil is. You may stand up for the wholesome style of Christ. We do not conquer evil with our wrath but only with the weapons of Christ — and those are not blunt. When you do not avenge yourself, you are not being a softie. By leaving it with God, Christ has conquered. In that way he became king, authorized to bring down the final judgment. God’s wrath is carried out through him!

The promise is not that everyone lets himself be conquered by love. The aversion to Christ’s style is deeply rooted, and great. The list of victims reaches from Abel via Stephen to today. On Patmos, John heard their cry: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” They will have to wait until the number of their murdered brothers will be full (Revelation 6:10-11). Under Christ’s reign the evil one will even be “allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7). And yet these holy ones will not be the losers! When violent people — in spite of all the fiery coals — walk all over you, they do not do this “senza essere punit!” Because Christ will fulfill the ancient, enduring promise of vengeance.

Praise God, enthroned on Zion’s mount.
 To all the world his deeds recount.
 He who avenges blood is near us,
 and when we cry, our God will hear us.Psalm 9:6, Book of Prais