Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. 2 Thessalonians 1:6
When somebody played a mean trick on a friend of mine, my friend took it in stride. He told me, ‘I don’t get mad, I get even’. Well, it is a good thing that he did not use the slight to plunge into rage and all the devastation that uncontrolled anger can generate. But was he justified in his intention to exact revenge? Not according to our text. Revenge is a very human trait, and it seems to make sense. But when we examine it, revenge is actually behind most acts of violence, most outbreaks of war, most breakups of marriage, and most of the unkind behaviour that we see around us. So, why is vengeance righteous when it is from God, as our text declares, and not when it is from us?
Paul is writing to Christians in Thessalonika who have suffered persecutions and tribulations. It was not easy for them to be Christians in that environment. But Paul could praise them for their faith and patience in the face of all their troubles (verse 4). In verse 5, Paul pointed out to them that the persecution was a sign that God counted them worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they were suffering. For them, this was a trial, and they were standing up under the trial in a very commendable way. Paul encouraged them in that. But he also pointed out that those who were persecuting them were not going to get away with it. The evil people who were troubling the Thessalonian saints were due for their own tribulation. And it would come from One Who had the power and the knowledge to give them exactly what they deserved.
God is righteous when He dispenses judgment. He knows the depths of evil in the hearts of those who persecute Christians. He knows the motives behind their behaviour. You or I would not know that, and we might strike back at somebody who was acting in ignorance or in misplaced zeal. Paul himself knew the grace of God when he was halted in his persecution of the Christians, because he was pursuing his campaign against them in the firm belief that he was doing the work of God (1 Timothy 1:15). If it had been left to you or me, we might have hunted Paul down and had him destroyed. And what a great loss that would have been for the work of God and the spread of Christianity in those early days!
It is not easy to accept persecution without seeking to strike back at the persecutors. But their tribulation should come from God, not from us. – Jim MacIntosh