|
 A
howl comes from the yard. I investigate. "Why are you
crying?" I ask.
“He
hit me," the howler replies, pointing to his brother.
"He
hit me first," charges the hitter.
"He
made a face at me," accuses the howler.
"He
wouldn't let me swing," retorts the hitting Pacemaker.
“He
wouldn't play catch with me," counters the howling
swinghogger. "Enough," I shout, knowing I'll never
unravel this. "The survivor will please clean up the
blood," I scream wittily. The witty screamer then stalks
away...
Retaliation
seems almost as natural as breathing, doesn't it? Kids are
masters at it, but, then, so are some of us grown-up kids. The
desire to hurt people who hurt me is one of my major stumbling
blocks.
It
helps me, though, to think about King David. He had learned the
lesson of Proverbs 24:17: "Do not rejoice when your enemy
falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he
stumbles..." lie knew that God forbids not only vengeance
against an enemy but even gloating over misfortunes that you do
not cause him.
For
example though Saul hounded David into outlawry and would have
killed him, David would not raise his hand against his king.
Once, just for humiliating Saul, David's
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heart smote him (1 Sam.
24:5). Finally, when Saul died, David mourned and
composed a dirge for him and Jonathan his son (2 Sam. 1:17-27).
Again,
David showed his great heart at the death of Abner, general
under Ish-bosheth after Saul's death. For years David and Saul's
house struggled for supremacy. Finally, Abner came to David to
make peace, but Joab accused him of deceit, and, to avenge the
death of his brother Asahel, slew Abner Rather than rejoice,
David denounced the perfidy of Joab. Then the king mourned Abner,
saying, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has
fallen this day in Israel?" (2 Sam. 4:35).
Solomon,
David's wise son, may have had the example of his father in mind
when he wrote: "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to
eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will
heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward
you" (Prov. 25:21f). Paul referred to this when he urged
Christians in Romans 12: "Never pay back evil for evil to
anyone ... If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace
with all men... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good" (vv. 17f, 21).
Human
vengeance is as punishable as the guilt of the enemy.
'Thinking
about David helps me cope with the spirit of revenge — to
"turn the other check." I hope it helps you, too. —
Jim Ward
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