Vengeance and Repaying Evil in the Bible

Scripture teaches that vengeance belongs to God and not to man. Romans 12:19 declares it plainly: 'Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' God alone is the perfect Judge, able to execute justice without error and without partiality. The desire for vengeance is deeply human and understandable: when we suffer injustice, the heart cries out for redress. Yet the Bible calls the believer to surrender that desire into God's hands, not because the offense is unimportant, but because God alone can judge it perfectly. While we wait, the disciple is summoned to love his enemy (Matthew 5:44), to do good to the one who has wronged him (Romans 12:20), and to rest in divine justice. To take revenge ourselves is to usurp God's prerogative and to risk committing a fresh injustice of our own. More than that, vengeance chains the heart in bitterness, while forgiveness and trust in God set it free. God does not, however, leave evil unpunished: 'God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil' (Ecclesiastes 12:14). The psalmist cries, 'O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!' (Psalm 94:1). The believer can therefore rest in the assurance that God will render justice at the time and in the manner He judges best, overcoming evil with good.