“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ (Romans 12:19)”
Anger is the easiest strong emotion for many of us. It sits just under the surface. It wells up and overflows and explodes. It feels good to get angry. And maybe that should be a warning. Most of the best things in life don’t come easy. Most of our best traits aren’t instinctive and reactive but ones we mature into.
But some things are worthy of our anger. There is such a thing as righteous anger that burns at injustice, abuses of power, and the victimization of the powerless. The Bible tells us that God gets angry. He is never capricious. He is no hothead. He is a patient God, abounding in steadfast love, who abhors evil and desires good for his people. So he gets angry.
James tells us that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” This is why, even when we are right to be angry, it so often feels futile and fruitless. We don’t have the power or means to bring about justice. So we easily slide into bitterness and resort to revenge. We are easily eaten up by our anger or wield it maliciously.
But God’s anger is never ineffectual. His justice never fails. And no evil will escape his eye or his reach. So when Romans 12:19 says, “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,” it is not to inhibit us. It is not taking away our satisfaction. It is certainly not shrugging at justice. Rather it is a promise and a reminder: “leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
The wrath of God does bring about the righteousness of God, so we entrust our anger and our helplessness in the face of evil to him. We take God at his word that he will handle his business so we can be freed from the burden and temptation that anger brings. To trust God in this is neither passivity nor apathy. It is active faith, trusting in God’s goodness and power to bring about restoration and justice in the end.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe!
