Do Unto Others.

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46; Psalms 97 & 98; Proverbs 26:13-16

 

Don’t we often wish that we could take Jesus’ famous statement, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and turn it around? When people do hurtful things to us, we want to do hurtful things to them. What keeps us from it is that we’ve also been taught not to repay anyone evil for evil.

 

But in the message God gave Jeremiah, we find this statement that seems to oppose all we’ve been taught:

 

Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others. – Jeremiah 50:15

 

How do we reconcile this with our calling to repay evil with good and blessing (1 Peter 3:9)?

 

By noting that Jeremiah was talking about our Lord’s vengeance. Other people may have participated in the vengeance (this vengeance was against Babylon). But it was not their vengeance; it was the Lord’s. And the Scriptures are nowhere shy of reminding us that our God is a great King and a Judge, and that He takes vengeance—righteous vengeance—on those who have filled the world with wickedness. Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30 both remind believers who are supposed to repay evil with blessing that this does not mean that evildoers will escape justice, citing Deuteronomy 32:35: “ ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, because even if you can’t repay evil with evil, God one day will bring His vengeance on the wicked with perfect justice and righteousness.

 

Father, make me righteous. Help me honor you and treat other people with all the dignity, grace, love, mercy, patience and kindness that I myself desire.