Righteousness Vs. Revengefulness

[2] Peter tells us what kind of attitude we should have toward one another when he says, “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful (“tenderhearted”(4)), be courteous” (1 Pet. 3:8).

II. REVENGE INTERJECTS ITSELF into GOD’S PLACE

A. Joseph Realized that Judgment was not His Right.

Gen. 50:18 “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?”

NOTE: When a child of God takes it upon himself to judge someone and condemn him or her to be worthy of God’s judgment for their wrong, he is in danger of bringing judgment upon himself. We must remember that we are all weak and fallible, and given to fault.

Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

B. Scripture Reveals that Judgment is God’s Responsibility.

Rom. 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

NOTE: When we seek to exact vengeance upon someone who has wronged us, we are stepping into a place where we don’t belong. Joseph realized this. Judgment belongs only to God, Who sees all things accurately. This is clearly brought out in God’s Word.

III. REVENGE IGNORES GOD’S PURPOSE

Gen. 45: 4 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

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7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God…”

Gen. 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

Rom. 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

NOTE: [1] Notice how the righteousness of Joseph moved him to immediately seek to assuage the shame and guilt of his brothers, rather than heaping the guilt of their offense upon their heads (Gen. 45:5a). In his heart, he’d already forgiven them; therefore, he did not wish to pain them any further with what they’d done to him. This act on Joseph’s part was not an approval of his brother’s treacherous hatred and betrayal so many years earlier, but was simply the nature of forgiveness, and a willingness to move past the wrong and begin again with a new perspective.

When the first missionaries came to Alberta, Canada, they were savagely opposed by a young chief of the Cree Indians named Maskepetoon. But he responded to the gospel and accepted Christ.