Connect Job 21:31 with Romans 12:19 on God's role in vengeance. Setting the Scene • Job 21 records Job’s honest struggle with the prosperity of the wicked. • Verse 31 raises two piercing questions: – “Who denounces his behavior to his face?” – “Who repays him for what he has done?” (Job 21:31) • The thrust: people often fail to hold the wicked accountable, and earthly justice can seem absent. Observations from Job 21:31 • Human courts, peers, and circumstances may never confront or punish certain evildoers. • Job’s rhetorical questions highlight a gap—an apparent lack of immediate recompense. • Implicitly, Job longs for a higher Judge who sees all and will ultimately make things right. Romans 12:19: The New Testament Answer • “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.’” (Romans 12:19) • Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, anchoring the truth in God’s unchanging Word. • The command is twofold: – Negative: refuse personal retaliation. – Positive: entrust justice to God, who promises full repayment. Threads That Tie the Passages Together • Job asks, “Who will repay?”—Romans responds, “The Lord will.” • Job observes limited human justice—Romans reveals limitless divine justice. • Both passages affirm: ultimate vengeance is God’s prerogative, not man’s. Additional Scriptures on Divine Vengeance • Deuteronomy 32:35, 41—“Vengeance is Mine…” • Psalm 94:1—“O LORD, God of vengeance, shine forth.” • Nahum 1:2—“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God.” • 2 Thessalonians 1:6—“God is just: He will repay affliction to those who afflict you.” • Hebrews 10:30—repeats Deuteronomy’s pledge. • Revelation 6:10—the martyrs cry, “How long… until You avenge our blood?” What This Means for Us Today • God sees every act, motive, and injustice; nothing escapes His ledger. • Because the Lord reserves vengeance for Himself: – We can release bitterness and cease plotting payback. – We are free to practice kindness even toward enemies (Romans 12:20–21). – We live in hope, knowing a righteous judgment day is assured (Acts 17:31). • The seeming success of the wicked is temporary; God’s recompense is certain and perfect in timing and scope. |
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