Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
– Romans 12:19
We have seen how we are to give place unto OUR wrath and not take out our anger on others. We have also seen how Scripture teaches us to give place to the wrath of OTHERS. This life is not the end. It’s okay to suffer in this life. We have an eternal rest to look forward to. Today we will look at the wrath of GOD.
GOD is JUDGE! God is HOLY! Who are we to take the place of God in the judgment of others?! Someone may say, “well the Bible tells us he that is spiritual judgeth all things.” Well, maybe we should emphasize the word, “SPIRITUAL,” and not the words, “judgeth all things.” There is an experience that comes to mind. Several years back, there was a lost person who made me so mad that I almost bowed my head to pray that they undergo severe judgment for what they did. Before I prayed, the Holy Spirit nudged my heart and pointed me to two truths: 1) God is a Righteous Judge and 2) the Lost will spend an eternity in hell so we ought to be praying for their salvation than for judgment upon them in this life. I realized how horrible and carnal my thoughts were! I was angry and desired their punishment rather than their salvation! Give place to the wrath of GOD. It is GOD who will judge the nations. He is the ONLY HOLY, RIGHTEOUS Judge. There will be a day when He will pronounce upon millions and millions of people the solemn judgment, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.” I believe if we were to really grasp the severity of this judgment, we would change our view of those around us.
“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Paul is here making the use of Deuteronomy 32:35 when the Lord said, “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; Their foot shall slide in due time: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that shall come upon them make haste.“
The Lord says “TO ME belongeth vengeance, and recompense.” Not US, but HIM. In DUE time, not OUR time, their foot shall slide. Give place to the wrath of God.