How does Lamentations 3:64 connect with Romans 12:19 on vengeance? Setting the Context • Lamentations 3 records Jeremiah’s raw lament after Jerusalem’s destruction. • Romans 12 forms Paul’s practical section on Christian living, urging believers to respond to evil with Spirit-empowered love. Lamentations 3:64—A Plea for Righteous Recompense “ You will repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.” • The prophet confidently states that the Lord Himself will “repay” the enemy. • The verse assumes God’s perfect knowledge of wrongdoing and His commitment to set things right. • It is a prayer that hands over vengeance to God rather than taking personal revenge. Romans 12:19—A New-Covenant Mandate “ 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.’ ” • Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, echoing the same truth Jeremiah trusted. • The command shifts believers from instinctive retaliation to deliberate trust in God’s timetable and justice. Points of Connection • Same Source of Justice – Both passages point to the Lord as the One who “will repay.” • Same Principle – Vengeance is God’s exclusive domain (see Psalm 94:1; Hebrews 10:30). • Different Covenantal Settings, Same Heart Attitude – Old Covenant: Jeremiah petitions God to act. – New Covenant: Paul tells believers to step aside so God can act. • Practical Implication – In both cases, human hands stay clean while divine hands carry out justice. Why the Link Matters for Us Today • Confidence in God’s perfect, eventual judgment frees us from bitterness. • Refusing personal retaliation mirrors Christ, “who when He suffered, He did not threaten, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). • Trusting God with vengeance creates space for proactive acts of mercy (Romans 12:20-21). Living It Out • Remember God sees every wrong—no injustice escapes His notice. • Release personal vendettas; verbalize trust in His promise to repay. • Replace retaliation with kindness, overcoming evil with good. In both Jeremiah’s lament and Paul’s instruction, the same unchanging God assures His people: vengeance belongs to Him alone, and He will repay in His own flawless way and time. |
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