The apostle Paul was speaking to fellow believers. He was not a bully. He was a saved man and the love of God moved him to serve God faithfully. He showed respect for other believers. He called them dearly beloved.
As we have also noted before, Christians do not hold grudges and they do not take matters into their own hands. God has given very clear instructions on how to deal with disputes among born again Christians. There will be times when believers do not agree with one another. Someone is allowing the sin of pride to get in the way and that will cause problems.
God directed Paul to remind the saints that it is not right to try to even a score. Sometimes you just need to back away and leave things alone. God knows what is going on and He will fix it. This is not about tolerating sin. This is about disagreements that can blow up and ruin a testimony.
Paul was directed to remind the saints to leave things in the Lord’s hands. Paul had certainly demonstrated this in his own life after he was saved. Prior to that, he had been a vengeful man. He had done all he could to try to stop the spread of the Gospel of Christ. After he was saved, he functioned in a different way. Paul demonstrated that it is possible to live by God’s law.
The apostle Paul was directed to quote from Deuteronomy 32:35. God taught the nation of Israel this before they ever entered the land of Canaan. This is God’s law for His children. God knows how to fix injustices. He knows every detail and He will address it correctly and right on time.
In verse 20, we are again reminded of how we treat others, including our enemies. Rather than jump all over the enemy, feed him if he is hungry. It is amazing how powerful that is. In the Old Testament we have the example of Elisha exposing the Syrian army. He prayed that God would make them blind and he led them straight to Samaria and to the king of Israel. The king of Israel wanted to destroy the army. Elisha said “no”. Elisha told the king to give the enemy soldiers a simple meal and send them home. After those men ate, they went home and they never came back again. They were humbled by a simply gesture of kindness. They also learned that God is much wiser and powerful than they were. God was protecting Israel and they would be foolish to fight against God.
God says that the right response will heap coals of fire on the enemy’s head. God knows what He is talking about. He never just assumes. He knows the facts. Wise people humble themselves and listen to Him.
In verse 21, we see again that Christians should not be known for evil. We should not be overcome of evil. We should not allow evil to get the upper hand. We need to live disciplined lives. We can do this if we are saved.
Rather than get a bad reputation, we can overcome evil with good. We can show the wicked how things should be done. God’s way is always right. God’s way is always better. We do not need to be paraded through the streets and glorified. Give the glory to God.
Haman was a man who sought the praise of men. He weaseled his way into the inner circle of the king. He hated Mordecai. He found out Mordecai was a Jew and he decided that it would be best to destroy all Jews, not just one man. He put his plot into motion. He built a set of gallows for Mordecai to hang on. He was granted permission and power to write a letter to command all the people to kill every Jew they found on a certain day.
Mordecai was a man of God. He did not have the human power to do anything about what Haman planned. He convinced queen Esther to approach the king about this matter. Esther was afraid to do so at first, but she gave in to Mordecai’s demand. Haman’s wicked plot backfired on him. He was hanged on the gallows. His family was destroyed. Mordecai was elevated to the place that Haman had held. Mordecai was a humble man and an asset to the king, rather than being like wicked Haman. Mordecai trusted in God and God showed His ability to protect His people when things looked impossible.
That is just one example of how God wants us to deal with things. God’s counsel is always right. It will not satisfy the ego of the person. It will satisfy the soul of the saved person. It will also please the Lord and bring His blessing upon the obedient child of God. It will also leave the door open for further witness of the goodness and righteousness of God.
If you know the Lord, let Him govern your life. It will not always be easy. The flesh will put up resistance. However, as we walk with the Lord and in the power of His might, we will be able to be a blessing to others.
Pastor Bartel