Defying Evil, Doing Good Exemplo

Resolve, Don’t React

By God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can resist the urge for payback. Rather than a combative response, we can resolve to take a peaceable posture. I remember listening to a stand-up comedian talking about the wisdom he learned from his dad when reacting to his wife. The fatherly wisdom was, “Say the third thing that comes to your mind.” In other words, the first thing that hits your brain during an emotionally-charged interaction will probably not be helpful. The second one will likely create more problems. However, by the time you process your response, the third expression might be safe. The advice was humorous but also helpful.

Notice the caveat in this verse: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18). If possible. Granted, some people will never reciprocate our goodness and attempts for peace. Evil, bitterness, and obstinance may continue to dominate the hearts and minds of people in our orbit. But we can pursue peace believing that “the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18).

The apostle Paul urges, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God” (Rom. 12:19). We are all driven toward self-justification. Our competitive streak wants to win the final argument. We want to look back at our defeated relational foes feeling the “thrill of victory.” But we are commanded to leave it in the Lord’s hands by placing our lives in the hands of God. We can trust the final judgment rather than spend our energies engaging our enemies.

As I was preparing to write this chapter this morning, I was drawn again to Psalm 3, which is marked as another song David composed after being betrayed and exiled by Absalom. It opens with the refrain: O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. (Ps. 3:1–4) David’s choice to trust God gripped my heart. When overwhelmed by opponents or simmering with frustration, God can give the grace to say, “But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” At the end of the psalm, David recognized the evil that was taking place against him, but he trusted God to act on his behalf—to judge the wicked and deliver his soul. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! (Ps. 3:7–8)

By faith, he believed God would act in his defense. Notice the line: “Your blessing be upon Your people!” The kingdom over which David reigned was not comprised of his people, but God’s. Thousands of these people were caught up in the conspiracy of the moment. Perhaps God was giving David grace to experience Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Either way, we see the purity and goodness of David’s righteous response to a barrage of agonizing rejection. He does no evil to his neighbor.