The Violent Man’s Dilemma

See, he is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. He dug a pit and hollowed it out, but fell into the hole he had made. His trouble comes back on his own head, and his violence falls on the top of his head. - Psalms 7:14-16 HCSB

As the Allies began encroaching on German territory, the Nazis were forced to close their death camps. They desperately worked to move the prisoners by train to other camps, trying to hide their cruelty.

One guard, known for his cruel treatment of Jewish prisoners, seized upon an opportunity to beat one of his hapless victims with a riding crop, severely injuring the poor fellow’s shoulder.

The prisoners were forced into a train car and the Nazis sat across from them as they hurried to escape the steadily approaching American bombers. As they were riding along, the exhausted prisoners tried to sleep. A man who was sitting next to the beaten victim slumped against him in his sleep. As his head lolled over onto the injured shoulder, the victim gave out a loud cry of pain and pushed against the other prisoner.

“I’m sorry. It’s simply too painful,” The poor man said. The other prisoner simply nodded and leaned away so that he could rest his head on the shoulder of the man to his right, while the victim rested his on the man to his left, leaving a space between them.

At that moment, a bomb exploded near the train and a piece of shrapnel flew through the wall of the train car, right between the two prisoners. As it buzzed through the air, it sliced the cruel Nazi’s hands right off.

God has a nasty way of making things work out that way. Wicked people dig pits for others to fall into and in their blindness stumble into their own traps. The stone they use to crush the righteous treacherously wobbles and rolls back on top of them.[1]

This is why God assures us, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly. I will execute great vengeance against them with furious rebukes and they will know that I am the Lord when I take My vengeance on them.”[2]

All of you who are suffering for the Name’s sake,[3] be strong! Do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming and He will save you.[4] He may seem to be slow to anger, but He is great in power and the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.[5]

Do not avenge yourselves. Instead, leave room for His wrath.[6] Cry out to Yahweh. In your pain cry out, “Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously, who tests heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to You.”[7]

Submission or destruction – this is the violent man’s dilemma.

[1] Proverbs 26:27
[2] Deuteronomy 32:35; Ezekiel 25:17
[3] 1 Peter 4:14; 3 John 1:7
[4] Isaiah 35:4
[5] Nahum 1:2-3
[6] Romans 12:19
[7] Jeremiah 11:20