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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often said, “The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice. He meant that even though justice may seem slow in coming, it will surely come. David, the author of Psalm 109, wrestled with the issue of justice. An enemy had badly mistreated him, using slander, lies, and curses to destroy him–even though David often prayed for his enemy. The assault from this adversary left him poor, needy, and brokenhearted. Instead of taking things into his own hands, David prayed–He prayed that God would judge and punish his enemy. He was convinced that because God is just, he could count on God to chastise this evildoer appropriately. He prayed that God would punish his enemy for the sake of God’s own reputation. He also believed that when justice prevails, evil subsides, and God’s kingdom expands. God has established governments to penalize evildoers; their task is to oversee deserved punishment. On the other hand, we sometimes want vengeance. We want to inflict injury, harm, or humiliation on the person who injured or offended us. The Bible tells us that revenge belongs to God. “Vengeance is mine, says the LORD. I will repay.” When God repays, He is not only fair, He is also thorough. So when somebody mistreats us, we may, or may not, choose to seek justice in courts, but we must surely leave vengeance to God.
