“They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory Into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, Which had done great things in Egypt; Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And terrible things by the Red sea. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. Yea, they despised the pleasant land, They believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, And hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD. Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, To overthrow them in the wilderness: To overthrow their seed also among the nations, And to scatter them in the lands.”
Psalm 106:19-27 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.106.19-27.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 ...