Worship Service for March 29, 2024

Nothing could be more natural than seeking revenge against one who has wronged you. Even the youngest child’s untrained sense of fairness demands payback. God’s children, however, are not to submit to human thinking but to the Word of God. What do the Scriptures say about our desire for revenge? When King David’s enemies rose against him, the Holy Spirit inspired him to pray in Psalm 41:10, “But You, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!” David prays for vengeance, and God ordains vengeance. Yet the Scriptures also tell us not to “resist the one who is evil” (Matthew 5:39). What are we to make of this paradox? As with all matters of faith, we must look to our Lord’s crucifixion for the answer. For only by the cross is God gracious to you; only at the cross does He demand payment for every injustice.