McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: Lev 9, Ps 10, Pr 24, 1 Thes 3
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” (Pr 24:29)
In one sentence the writer undermines the nature of sinful man! Nearly 100% of the conflict I see between children is explained by one or the other (usually both) by, “he did it to me first!”. Adults do it too, but aren’t so quick to admit it. They hide it. It is so hard to give up the pursuit of personal justice! So how do we? How do we “turn the other cheek” and treat others the way we want to be treated and not the way we are treated? We do this by the truth of the gospel. Paul writes in Romans, “‘Vengeance is mine,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will repay.'” that is the first thing to remember. We can let go of personal pursuits of justice because we are assured that all sin will be punished. God’s own name reaffirms that, “…who will by no means clear the guilty…”. The second thing to remember is the cross. We can forgive because the cross shows us the justice of God. Sin is punished. God shows us that for His people sin is punished on the cross, and for those that are not his people he shows us that punishment is very real. God takes it seriously and when the day of judgment comes, it will be meted out. Finally, because of God’s forgiveness by way of the cross, the assuming of the debt himself, we have both a model and the power to forgive others.
