REVENGE by Theo G. Weis

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 30, 1930

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 57, No. 38.

REVENGE

By Theo G. Weis

THEO G. WEIS

REVENGE is the deadly fang of a poisoned life. It never pays to “get even.” To cause others to realize an injustice done us by forcing embarrassment or calamity on them is not just retribution. To burn a man’s barn because he burned our hay meadow does not restore the hay. We human beings err easily in our judgment. We have our eyes too near the ground to see the workings of the heart. We judge too harshly because we do not fully understand. It is always best to let God balance life’s ledger pages. He will do right with every account entered in the books of heaven. Revenge shows a spirit of hate and selfishness, which, if persisted in, leads to a tragedy.

A HATEFUL ATTEMPT

About a year ago the Associated Press carried a news item relating to an incident that had all the earmarks of vile vengeance. A certain Swiss commercial traveler of Geneva, after divorcing his wife, married another. His first wife, on learning that her hated rival was about to become a mother, sent her anonymously, by parcel post, a large bouquet of chrysanthemums. Inside the neatly wrapped package and among the pleasing flowers, she hid a live viper.

When the second wife opened the package, the snake fell out dead, having been killed by the cold in transit. The police began their task of finding the sender. They finally traced it to the divorced wife, and arrested her for an attempt to kill.

SATAN USED SERPENT

Hidden in the innocent freshness of flowers, vengeance does its most heinous work. In the Garden of Eden Satan used the guile and the hypnotic beauty of the serpent behind which to hide his evil intentions. He hid death under the guise of life, and misery behind the sparkling promises of happiness. Here vengeance was born. When man swore allegiance to the side of evil and disobedience, Satan won his first subject; what is more, he felt revenged for what he considered were inconsiderations shown him in the court of heaven. As a confederate in a transgression, man, for the first time, became a revengeful being; for the first time he felt the ugliness of measuring out evil for good, and evil for evil.

Satan tried to “get even” with God in that very first step of retaliation. Man has tried to “get even” with God ever since. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer; pride was the sword that cut him out of heaven; pride destroyed paradise on earth; pride plants the spirit of rebellion in every human heart; pride is underneath vengeance.

WAY OF LIFE IS CLEAR

In a fatherly spirit of love God always proclaimed His law to mankind. The way to life is unerringly clear. God’s injunctions are not to be spurned. Something goes wrong; man deliberately turns from the lighted path to loiter in the shadows of requital. God speaks! He sends a Nahum to thunder His reproof: “God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.” Nahum 1:2, 3. Or God sends His message through an eloquent Paul: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21. In such simple words God has made known the safe way in His Book; no one can possibly lose the way.

“Love your enemies,” Jesus said. Love is the only spirit that smothers revenge and dries it up as the sun dries up water. Revenge not; it does not pay.