“He brought them forth also with silver and gold: And there was not one feeble person among their tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed: For the fear of them fell upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering; And fire to give light in the night. The people asked, and he brought quails, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; They ran in the dry places like a river. For he remembered his holy promise, And Abraham his servant.”
Psalm 105:37-42 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.105.37-42.KJV
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...