A Godly Response to Enemies



A Godly Response to Enemies

A Godly Response to Enemies

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

Romans 12:19

Dear Kids,

It’s impossible to get through life charming everyone you meet. No matter how hard you try there will always be someone who finds a reason to reject or put you down. This person may be jealous or even hold a grudge that has nothing to do with you personally, but is about something that happened in the past. Interactions with this sort of person can be uncomfortable at best. But sometimes there may be a person you would consider a real foe. They are not just rude but desire to do you harm. What is a Godly response to enemies?

Over the centuries God’s people have encountered many enemies. Satan regularly stirs up opposition with the intent to harm and even annihilate those who belong to the Lord. The Jewish nation in particular has suffered many such attacks.

Haman Named the King’s Right Hand Man

According to the book of Esther, soon after King Ahasuerus crowned his new queen, he promoted a man named Haman over all the princes of the land. Now Haman thought quite highly of himself and expected all of the king’s servants to bow to him whenever he passed by. Most of these submitted to his wishes, but one man did not. Mordecai, a Jew and Esther’s cousin, refused to pay homage to this despicable man. This slight enraged Haman who determined to rid the kingdom of Mordecai and to destroy all of his people, the Jews.

So Haman cast lots to determine what day would be best for this slaughter. He then went to the king to ask for permission. Wording his request carefully, Haman informed Ahasuerus of a certain people scattered amongst his kingdom that did not observe the king’s laws. He highly recommended that it was in the king’s best interest to remove these rebels from the kingdom. In order to convince the king of his allegiance and the expediency of this national purging he even offered to pay ten thousand talents of silver towards the expenses.

A Godly Response to Enemies

Haman Devises a Plan to Annihilate the Jews

The king agreed and gave Haman his signet ring of authority. This gave Haman carte blanche to do whatever he pleased with this group of rebellious subjects. So Haman, the great enemy of the Jews, sent messengers all throughout the kingdom commanding all the non-Jewish subjects to mark their calendars for a certain day approximately a year later.

On that day the people were commanded to destroy all the Jews – young, old, women, children – and to seize all of their possessions. The whole citadel of Susa flew into an uproar when they received this horrific news. But Haman and the king raised a glass and celebrated this plan to purge the kingdom of these unwanted dissenters. Would this be the end of God’s chosen people?

A Godly Response to Enemies

Hopefully you will never encounter this type of a vitriolic enemy. But it is likely you will have one or more individuals who dislike and treat you unfairly in the years ahead. How should you handle this?

It would be natural to look for a way to get revenge when someone does you wrong, but God tells us not to take this approach. Instead, we are to treat our enemies with love. If they are hungry feed them. If they are thirsty give them a drink. Pray for the ones who persecute you and despitefully use you.

Although we must not pay back evil with evil, this does not let our enemy off the hook. God watches over His children and promises to repay those for the harm they have done. By allowing God to handle the situation we walk by faith, trusting Him to handle the circumstances and the person justly as only He can. This is a Godly response to enemies.

Vengeance is Mine Says the Lord

No one gets through life charming everyone they meet. But rest assured, God takes note of every injustice you suffer. Don’t take the bull by the horns and seek revenge on your own. Instead, let God be the judge. He will deal with the situation appropriately in His perfect timing. Next time we will see how He responds to His people’s dangerous enemy and their incredibly desperate situation.

Love,

   Mama

1 Comment

  1. […] wicked Haman had developed a plan for disposing of Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, and ridding the kingdom of all […]

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