If God delivers your adversary or your enemy into your hand today, what will you do? Will you avenge or allow God to avenge on your behalf? Before you answer the questions, read the following passages from the Bible; Gen. 45:3-11; 1Sam. 24:1-7, 26:5-12.
God delivers Joseph’s enemies (dream and destiny killers) into his hand, what did he do?
Firstly, in one of those passages, Joseph’s brothers (his enemies, his dreams killers) who sold him to the Ishmaelite 22 years earlier, now appeared before Joseph prostrating, trying to buy food in Egypt where Joseph was in charge. Joseph recognized them, but his brothers did not recognize him. What would you do if you were to be Joseph?
Joseph’s brothers never knew that one day they would come across Joseph, but 22 years later they saw him. Wicked people are sometimes debased to forget that nemesis would catch up one day. In as much a person is still alive, do not write off that person. There is hope for a person who is alive even when people think his/her situation is hopeless.
Nemesis will surely catch up
The evil that men did kept hunting them as long as they did not change. It is true that law of karma is continual even to the present age. The Bible states that you will reap whatever you sow, you will reap the consequence of your past deed, good or bad.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.
for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal.6:7)
Immediately Joseph accused his brothers of being spies, the first thought that came across their minds was the guilt of the evil they committed 22 years back: The guilt of murder, the guilt of selling their brother, and the guilt of telling lie to their father that they could not find Joseph.
Now, here you are, if you were to be Joseph, what would you do? Would you avenge immediately by exercising the power invested in you to rule over Egypt and put them to life imprisonment or have them executed just as they planned against Joseph in the past? Humanly speaking, you would probably do the later.
But as a Christian, you cannot do that. Don’t you know that unforgiving is a sin, a stronghold and a barrier to breakthrough/freedom? When you forgive, every obstacle in the way of your destiny is removed.
God delivers David’s adversary into his hand, what did he do?
Secondly, in the other passage, God delivered Saul into the hand of David on two different occasions; an opportunity for David to kill Saul (his adversary) and stop him from pursuing him once and for all. Without much thought, if you were to be David, your wish would probably be to eliminate Saul. But David handed the situation over to God to take control, David said that he would not lay his hand on God’s anointed (1Sam. 24:6). As Christians, we need to emulate this attitude by allowing God to avenge on our behalf.
Of all the enemies that revolted against David besides those he killed at war, David did not kill any of his adversaries; however, all of them pulled the trigger for their own death. Saul died in war; Ahithophel committed suicide; Absalom died in his own revolt etc.
No wonder, the Bible called David “a man after the heart of God” (Acts 13:22) because he does the will of God always. God established David and gave him rest roundabout from his enemies, because he depends on God and allow God to take over his battle.
Vengeance belongs to God
God is not interested in the death of any sinner but for him/her to repent. Joseph and David knew this principle that vengeance belongs to God (Rom, 12:19) and that God will fight for them when they allow Him to take control. God causes your enemy/adversary to embark on their own suicide mission (Duet. 32:35).
The scripture states,
“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you” (Pro 25:22; Rom. 12:20).
Do you want to enjoy the peace of God? Do you want to be established? Do you want to have rest roundabout from your enemies? Do you want your fear to be upon your enemies? Depend on God to avenge for you. All you must do is to obey whatever the word of God says. Be wise and be sensitive; yield to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Even though Joseph dribbled his brothers a little before revealing himself to them, it was not his intention to avenge. How do I know? The Bible stated,
“And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:4-5)
God sees beyond our present and He knows the intent of man. Your attitude to life matters. God sees, knows our thought and what we can do. He knew that Joseph would never pay evil for evil. No wonder God made Joseph to be a fore runner for his father and brothers, to deliver them from impended famine.
If one of Joseph’s brothers were in the position of Joseph in Egypt, and had been sold to slavery years back, he would have probably revenge by killing all his siblings. But for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God saw Joseph as the right person to be Governor in Egypt so that God could use him to keep His promise. This was the same thing we saw in Jesus Who came into this world ahead of the kingdom of God to save us.
What is in your heart?
What did God see in your heart? You can begin to learn to display a right attitude that will work in your favor. It is not for you to avenge for yourself, that is what God promise to do for you. “He who keeps you will never sleep nor slumber” the scripture states, ‘Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you. (Pro.20:22)
If you want God to exalt you, do not kill your enemy; do not wish him/her any calamity, but pray for him/her to see the goodness of God manifesting in your life. Maybe, he/she will repent from his/her evil way and become a child of God like you, seeking to do the will of God
I am asking you again, what would you do if God delivers your enemy/adversary into your hand today?
Let God take over your situation,
Prayers
- Pray that God will grant you a forgiving spirit to forgive your enemies/adversaries
- Pray that God will grant you the grace to offload every stronghold of resentment and unforgiving from your heart
- Pray for the spirit of obedience for God to avenge on your behalf
- Pray for God to manifest His promise for your life so that your enemy will see the glory for God upon your life.
- Pray, whether the devil likes it or not the purpose of God, your dream, and your goal, must come to pass.
- Pray that your enemy/adversary will prostrate before you.
Pray that God in His infinite mercy will not forsake you, but to lead you to a higher ground.
By Lawrence Abitogun
lawrenceabitogun.com