Vengeance

Yahweh will Requite

Matthew 5:38 You have heard that it has been said ‘An eye for an eye’ and ‘A tooth for a tooth’. 39 Now I say to you, not to oppose evil, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn for him also the other. 40 And to him desiring for you to be judged and to receive your cloak, give up to him also the shirt. 41 And whoever shall press you for one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him asking you, and you should not turn away from him wishing to borrow from you.

Since both the exacting vengeance and the distribution of reward belong to our God, Christians should not take such things upon themselves. Yet rarely in our history have we shown such faith. If we believed God's word, we would never seek vengeance against a brother, either by suit or by violence.

(This does not refer to Yahweh's enemies. We are not to suffer evil from the enemies of our God. We must resist them. Here, as always throughout the discourse given on the Mount, the subject of the conversation is still the students of Christ and the children of Israel.)

Mercy on our Enemies

See Mercy

Matthew 5:43 You have heard that it has been said ‘You shall love him near you’ and ‘You shall hate your enemy’. 44 Now I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those persecuting you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because His sun rises upon evil and good and rains upon righteous and unrighteous. 46 For if you should love those loving you, what reward do you have? Do not also the tax-collectors do the same? 47 And if you should greet your brethren only, what do you do that is extraordinary? Do not also the heathens do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Here, Yahshua is talking about our personal Israelite enemies, this discourse being to and about the children of Israel. He is not talking about His enemies – the enemies of our God. Our personal Israelite enemies, those of our own race who wrong us, those we must be merciful towards as our Father is merciful to us. And we should be kind towards all Israelites, towards all Adamic men, and not only those who are our near kin or whom we happen to be acquainted with.