Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth; evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”
Psalm 140:11
Take God’s warning seriously. If you attempt to harm someone with your tongue, you will be hunted down by evil. Solomon said that an evil person “flees when no man is in pursuit.” That is because, even though no man may be pursuing them, the wicked can sense the wrath of God. Something within them senses that “evil angels from God” are on their trail, and they cannot escape them. The wicked imagine themselves as hunting down the upright, to tear them down, but in fact, by giving themselves to evil, they have only become the hunted.
When Jesus said for us to do good to those who hate you and to pray for those who maltreat us, he was not simply saying, “Be nice, now.” Not at all. By that, Jesus was revealing to us the only way of escape from the wrath of God against all unrighteousness. God meant it when He said, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay.” Therefore, if we avenge ourselves, we are not only guilty of disobeying Jesus; we are also guilty of thievery, for you have stolen something that belongs to God alone: vengeance.