vengeance
In the Old Testament, vengeance is a common theme, but one that often is viewed negatively in the Christian world. In the Gospel According to Matthew 18:22 (NABRE), for example, Jesus urges his followers to forgive as much as seventy times seven, a suggestion that runs contrary to vengeful behavior. In light of this shifting perspective, it’s easy to lose sight of the important role God’s vengeance plays in the Old Testament.
Vengeance is a paying back for a wrong committed, and can be seen as a form of justice or of evening the balance. The idea of vengeance first enters the Old Testament in the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, in which Cain expects to be killed as a result of murdering his brother Abel. While Cain doesn’t welcome a death sentence, he sees it as just. God has other ideas, however. The LORD keeps Cain very much alive while at the same time allowing Cain to experience the consequences of his actions. While vengeance is God’s to give—as is justice—it typically does not always take the form we might expect.
What other examples of God’s vengeance can you think of from the Old Testament? What impact do you think that Jesus had on Christian understanding of this concept?
you also may like our study of the Gospel According to John
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, a 25-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines the Fourth Gospel’s view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, with special emphasis on the institution of the sacraments of the Church as the means by which Christians are purified and made holy. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary, and takes a closer look at the way in which Jesus relates to individual men and women. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.
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