As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
No real Christian has never been pushed by satan and the world to a fury which they want to strike out with everything they have. I state that as it was brought to my mind this morning as I have been engaged in Spiritual warring in something which has always puzzled me and that what is referred to in the Bible as blood guiltiness.
The most prominent example of this is David as he was hunted by King Saul and with his men in the wilderness, needed provisions from the populace, and when he sent some of his young men to ask a rich man named Nabal to provide food, Nabal castigated them in asking "Who is David that he comes demanding food!"
David and his men had provided protection for the estate of this man and had not taken one sheep. So in that insult David was extremely insulted and told his men to gird up their swords as he was not going to leave one man alive in Nabal's house that pisseth against the wall.
That is one of my favorite Bible expressions, but in that begins the blood guilt which was spoken of as one of David's young men told Nabal's wife the slaughter which was about to happen, and she in turn astutely loaded provisions, and ran to head off David and his army, in a scene of absolute diplomatic genius in vowing fidelity to David when he was king and fidelity to him then as he was God's chosen king.
David was appeased, but in the exchange in the verses below from I Samuel, I will put into bold he pertinent phrases as they do explain blood guiltiness.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall
Do you see the context of what is taking place? Nabal's wife, Abigial, speaks of this as David's actions would trouble his conscience later. It was not that David did not have full legal right to slaughter everyone there for what Nabal did, as he had right to avenge himself, but there was the matter of Abigail, a woman alone and the women servants. All would be unprotected and literally made victims by robbers, rapists and murderers. David could execute this son of Belial (worthless man) and all of his men servants legally, but his actions in avenging himself would have harmed people who were unaware in that household.
That would have later troubled King David immensely, and the population would have remembered that slaughter and never would have trusted David, lest his fury be unleashed again in being out of control.
David had Christian heart, or a heart after the Lord's own. By that, when God had delivered King Saul into David's hand many times, David did not kill the King, but saved him. Even when David was King, he still mourned for Saul's family, even though they turned on him as traitors later. One son of Jonathan a cripple, David brought into the royal house to be cared for as the King was looking for someone to show kindness to.
David withdrew his hand from slaughter and the Lord did avenge him. Nabal was told what had just been averted and he fainted almost dead away and lingered in bed. What followed was the Lord killed Nabal, thus avenging David, who then took Nabal's wife and all his property as his own.
Waiting around on the Lord did reward David quite well for not avenging himself.
38: And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
God has killed people for me and God has let real bastards and bitches live. When God has killed for me, it was because those horrid people were standing in the way of God's work through me. That part I desire each of you to comprehend. God is on God's side, so do not make the mistake in thinking fire and brimstone are coming on your enemies for you read a book by the light of their fire.
The sinners who are still alive have absolutely disgusting lives or in the case of some of my evil relatives, they are locked in a sickness prison of every day is a struggle. Others slog along in the rubbish they are. Sometimes God does not show you how He avenges, but He will and that is what one trusts in.
That is not to day that law and order does not have a place in this. In Israel the, Goel, or family avenger would seek justice in this world. It was legal though in crimes and never in fury, or the enjoying of the twisting of the knife to torment the dying.
We are instructed to Pray for our Enemies. I do pray for them to repent, as that is reality that rips every person's life apart. If they do repent, they will be changed, and if they do not repent, they will be driven to an earlier grave.
In closing this out, there was another set of sons, not of Belial, but of Zeruiah, who was David's brother in law, and the chief one was Joab. Those three brothers were like Simeon and Levi butchering a city for their prince raping their sister Dinah, and placing all of Jacob in danger.
Joab saved David from blood guiltiness, by shedding the blood and was blamed for it. He also when David died was part of an insurrection against Solomon, and Solomon's strong man, Benaniah slew Joab on the Altar as that is where Joab was hiding.
Those who Joab slew though were either in legal retaliation, in the case of Amasa and Abner would have contended with David for the crown later, or in the case of Uriah, when David impregnated his wife, Joab was cleaning up a national problem that David had brought on the nation.
Sometimes with God's humans, there has to be a human who is prone to do the dirty work for the Christian, but the Christian is always taught to have God avenge them.
II Samuel 38
39: And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.
That does not mean that we have to sit quiet nor stand up for ourselves when so moved. Pleading to God to be avenged which is His job, is a reality as much as praying for enemies to change. Evil people engaged in evil things are dying faster every day even if they sit in pews, because they are not renewed every day in the Word of the Lord.
Each of us though when we are in our hurts, need to be reminded of what God told Jonah when he was mad that God did not destroy Nineveh. God reminded Jonah that there were thousands of stupid people in that city quite ignorant, and there were many animals there too who were innocent. I am not stating that for satan to have you think you have to take a back seat to being avenged as some person's cat might end up in the pound, but I am reminding you that God works in a bigger picture and sometimes we do not see things He does in why vengeance is not coming on our terms.
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Always remember that St. Paul was Inspired by the Holy Ghost to write the Romans. Paul also had any adversary who he turned over to satan for a time to chastise that evil person. Each Christian needs to know they have the responsibility to defend themselves, and not get into trouble. But, each Christian is to fold their hands in prayer calling on God to avenge and not folding their hands in shedding blood of others who deserve it. That as David's example proved, causes your conscience grief later, harms your reputation and makes you more prone to trust in your own hands, instead of the Hand of God executing Judgement.
There is always a part for the Christian in this, and there is a balance in the scales. The Christian though needs to look after themselves in that their actions do not harm them worse and to always remind God that you have not been avenged fully yet.
Nuff Said
agtG