Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “The Cycle of Revenge” – Monday, 29 September 2014 - Scripture: Deuteronomy 19:1-21

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “The Cycle of Revenge” – Monday, 29 September 2014 - Scripture: Deuteronomy 19: 1-3 When God, your God, throws the nations out of the country that God, your God, is giving you and you settle down in their cities and houses, you are to set aside three easily accessible cities in the land that God, your God, is giving you as your very own. Divide your land into thirds, this land that God, your God, is giving you to possess, and build roads to the towns so that anyone who accidentally kills another can flee there.
4-7 This is the guideline for the murderer who flees there to take refuge: He has to have killed his neighbor without premeditation and with no history of bad blood between them. For instance, a man goes with his neighbor into the woods to cut a tree; he swings the ax, the head slips off the handle and hits his neighbor, killing him. He may then flee to one of these cities and save his life. If the city is too far away, the avenger of blood racing in hot-blooded pursuit might catch him since it’s such a long distance, and kill him even though he didn’t deserve it. It wasn’t his fault. There was no history of hatred between them. Therefore I command you: Set aside the three cities for yourselves.
8-10 When God, your God, enlarges your land, extending its borders as he solemnly promised your ancestors, by giving you the whole land he promised them because you are diligently living the way I’m commanding you today, namely, to love God, your God, and do what he tells you all your life; and when that happens, then add three more to these three cities so that there is no chance of innocent blood being spilled in your land. God, your God, is giving you this land as an inheritance—you don’t want to pollute it with innocent blood and bring bloodguilt upon yourselves.
11-13 On the other hand, if a man with a history of hatred toward his neighbor waits in ambush, then jumps him, mauls and kills him, and then runs to one of these cities, that’s a different story. The elders of his own city are to send for him and have him brought back. They are to hand him over to the avenger of blood for execution. Don’t feel sorry for him. Clean out the pollution of wrongful murder from Israel so that you’ll be able to live well and breathe clean air.
14 Don’t move your neighbor’s boundary markers, the longstanding landmarks set up by your pioneer ancestors defining their property.
15 You cannot convict anyone of a crime or sin on the word of one witness. You need two or three witnesses to make a case.
16-21 If a hostile witness stands to accuse someone of a wrong, then both parties involved in the quarrel must stand in the Presence of God before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges must conduct a careful investigation; if the witness turns out to be a false witness and has lied against his fellow Israelite, give him the same medicine he intended for the other party. Clean the polluting evil from your company. People will hear of what you’ve done and be impressed; that will put a stop to this kind of evil among you. Don’t feel sorry for the person: It’s life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
"The Cycle of Revenge" by David W. Kendall
When someone hurts us, we want to pay them back. After all, we think, it’s only fair to share a bit of our pain with them. Whether we receive a put-down or an actual assault, we think it will assuage our pain if our trespassers are punished and if we get “justice.”
But even when they “get theirs,” we seldom “get ours.” The hurt remains and deepens as we replay it in our minds. The justice we sought is not enough, and we demand more.
At the same time, the one who hurt us and then received “justice” may now feel hurt and also demand justice. That justice, however, will be no more satisfying than our own. Soon a cycle of assault develops. Just think of the Hatfields and the McCoys, or the Middle East. What begins as a little revenge often spins out of control.

We must learn to recognize the dangers of revenge and turn our hearts toward Jesus, the Healer. Jesus not only cares for us as we struggle with anger and pain; He can completely drive the bitterness from our hearts!

Hymn for Today:

"Let The Beauty of Jesus Be Seen In Me" by Albert Orsborn
1. "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity;
May His Spirit divine All my being refine,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me."
2. "When your burden is heavy and hard to bear,
When your neighbors refuse all your load to share,
When you’re feeling so blue,
Don’t know just what to do,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you."
3. "When somebody has been so unkind to you,
Some word spoken that pierces you through and through,
Think how He was beguiled, Spat upon and reviled;
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you."
4. "From the dawn of the morning to close of day,
In example, in deeds, and in all you say,
Lay your gifts at His feet,
Ever strive to keep sweet,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you."
Thought for Today:

“God has established justice and graciousness, not revenge, as the way to respond to wrongdoing"(Session Truth)
Prayer Needs:
That many young people in Guatemala will be called into full-time Christian ministry.
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