Deu 32:35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
Psalms 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!
Nahum 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.
Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
Psalms 73:17-19 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.
1 Peter 2:8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
2 Peter 2:3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Isaiah 30:12-13 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
Habakkuk 2:3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
2 Peter 3:8-10 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. (Henry)
It is my office to punish sin, and therefore as I know their sins, so I will assuredly punish them. Their feet shall slide; they who now think they stand fast and unmovable, they shall fall into utter destruction. In due time; though not so soon as some may expect it, yet in that time when it shall be most proper and seasonable, when they have filled up the measure of their sins (Brown)
We read these verses and see the coming of God’s vengeance on those who reject and deny Him and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We might even have thoughts of cheering on the coming of this event. Yet when I read these verses I can only humbly bow my head and reverently say; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”. The verses describe the exact punishment I deserved prior to God exposing my Sin and revealing His Son to me. It is not as though I was on a mindful journey seeking to find redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ. No, I was content in my sin and my life apart from God. God, in His love, mercy, and grace, exposed me to Himself through a painful event that opened my eyes to Him and the need for redemption.
I look back at how the couple across the street invited my wife and I to come to listen to an evangelist on a Thursday night, and how the words of this man spoke deep into my soul, and with utter clarity I was given a clear understanding of the need for redemption, salvation, and forgiveness. God orchestrated it all. Not only that, but the couple across the street were well-grounded and strong believers who continually explained more and more of the bible to us.
I grasp glimpses of understanding God’s vengeance and His grace, mercy, and love. These always bring me to the same place in my thoughts; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”!
