Proverbs 20:22 - Vengeance Belongs To God - Wait Patiently For Him.
Proverbs 20:22: Vengeance Belongs To God - Wait Patiently For
Him.
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Prov. 20:22 (KJV) Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait
on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
Prov. 20:22 (NLT) Don't say, "I will get even for this wrong."
Wait for the LORD to handle the matter.
Prov. 20:22 (CWR) Don't take it on yourself to repay a wrong;
leave that to the Lord.
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
The Proverbs of Solomon (10:1-22:16)
The major collection attributed to Solomon (10:1-22:16)
On Life and Conduct
The Very Steps We Take (20:21-30)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Deut. 32:35 (KJV) To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;
their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is
at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Psalm 94:1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to
whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
Proverbs 24:29 (KJV) Say not, I will do so to him as he hath
done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance
belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord
shall judge his people.
Romans 12:17-19 (KJV) Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. [18] If it be possible,
as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. [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.
1 Thes. 5:15 (KJV) See that none render evil for evil unto any
man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and
to all men.
1 Peter 2:23 (KJV) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again;
when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously:
1 Peter 3:9 (KJV) Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for
railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called,
that ye should inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 4:19 (KJV) Wherefore let them that suffer according to
the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well
doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Matthew 5:38-39 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: [39] But I say unto you, That
ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other also.
Psalm 27:14 (KJV) Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he
shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 37:34 (KJV) Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he
shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off,
thou shalt see it.
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Lament. 3:25-26 (KJV) The Lord is good unto them that wait for
him, to the soul that seeketh him. [26] It is good that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
Vengeance was God's prerogative. He would repay the wicked for
their actions [NIV SB]
Because of our limited understanding and imperfection, we are
not qualified to recompense evil. Instead we must commit our cause
to God, whose vengeance is certain and perfectly just. God says
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay". [Nelson SB]
With the example of Christ before them (1 Peter 2:23),
Christians cannot fail to realize the necessity of resisting all impulses
to take revenge. The Lord claims that vengeance is His (Heb.
10:30). Those who put their trust in Him will be so protected by the
Lord that all the attacks of their enemies will turn out to be for
their good (Rom. 8:28). [SDA Commentary]
With sadness Jesus looks into the upturned faces before Him. He
notes the spirit of revenge that has stamped its evil imprint upon
them, and knows how bitterly the people long for power to crush their
oppressors. Mournfully He bids them, "Resist not him that is evil: but
whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
These words were but a reiteration of the teaching of the Old
Testament. It is true that the rule, "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth"
(Leviticus 24:20), was a provision in the laws given through Moses; but it
was a civil statute. None were justified in avenging themselves, for
they had the words of the Lord: "Say not thou, I will recompense
evil." "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me." "Rejoice
not when thine enemy falleth." "If he that hateth thee be hungry,
give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to
drink." Proverbs 20:22; 24:29, 17; 25:21, 22, R.V., margin.
The whole earthly life of Jesus was a manifestation of this
principle. It was to bring the bread of life to His enemies that our
Saviour left His home in heaven. Though calumny and persecution were
heaped upon Him from the cradle to the grave, they called forth from
Him only the expression of forgiving love. Through the prophet
Isaiah He says," I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them
that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and
spitting." "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His
mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." Isaiah 50:6;
53:7. And from the cross of Calvary there come down through the ages
His prayer for His murderers and the message of hope to the dying
thief.
The Father's presence encircled Christ, and nothing befell Him
but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the
world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us. He who is
imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that is
aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His
presence. Whatever comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to
resist evil, for Christ is his defense. Nothing can touch him except by
our Lord's permission, and "all things" that are permitted "work
together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28. MB69-71
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