Retaliate?
Hello.
This week, despite the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, we’ve heard a lot of hateful and vengeful words, with leaders threatening to
retaliate if hostilities begin again.
On a personal level we might understand this. If someone hits us or our family members, we might want to strike back. If someone speaks against us, we may want to slander him or her. But should we?
The Old Testament is full of examples of nations taking vengeance on each other. One involved Moses in Numbers 31:2 when he told the people of Israel to “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them” (NIV).
Is that really the mind of God, that we should hate our enemies so much that we want to destroy them?
Jesus said no, it is not so. He contrasts how Moses thought to how he, God’s Son, thinks. Jesus tells us that not only should we resist the “eye for an eye” hitting back approach to those who hurt us, but also that we should love our enemies. (Matthew 5:38-39, 44).
When attacked, let’s not retaliate but, rather, follow the words of Jesus.
Kind regards,
Gavin.
About the Writer:
Gavin Henderson is the National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK and Ireland.