The Big Pay Back: REVENGE

Since Donald Trump has taken office, it seems we live in an atmosphere of hoping people get what they deserve and not in a good way. Retribution and vengeance, or the BIG PAY BACK, is awaited. Promises of ending government overspending of taxpayer's money are in full affect with thousands of people being fired from federal jobs. As people are being fired without discretion, there is a deep hope those doing the firing meet a horrible fate. For Trump that would be impeachment and for Elon Musk, deportation.

Take Luigi Mangioni, a young man people have found handsome, is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare allegedly because of how insurance companies deny people much needed health insurance. He is experiencing an enormous amount of public support with people advocating for his release. People are on the side of the accused murderer because they believe the CEO and other CEO's are mistreating people in the name of greed. They believe the CEO deserved what he got. During Mangione's court appearance, there were large groups of people outside chanting "Free Luigi!" A fundraiser for legal expenses for Mr. Mangione - an Ivy League-educated member of a prominent Baltimore family - has raised over half a million dollars since his arrest.

An enormous image of Luigi Mangioni covered a building in Manhattan ahead of his upcoming court hearing Friday. The image reads “Free Luigi” and depicts Mangione as a saintly or Christ-like figure touching a heart at the center of his chest with a halo around his head.

As a Christian who is engaged in politics, I have advocated for a more Christian attitude towards the political madness. I often quote the Bible verse, "be angry and sin not" which appears in Ephesians 4:26, and continues, "do not let the sun go down on your anger". Anger is okay but what ACTIONS you put WITH your anger can get you into trouble (do I sound like a broken record?). The Bible advocates for the Christian to DEAL with what is making them angry and to have it reconciled before they go to sleep at the end of the day. 

Can public support for what is viewed as a crime be accepted in the case of Mangioni? Good luck with that in this political chaos where wrong is right, right? Things are so backwards nowadays who can say.

People's emotions want pay back but there are no exceptions to the rule of law and where the Bible is concerned. If you are angry about something, anything, you MUST not let it make you sin. Unresolved anger LEADS to sin. It OPENS the door to un-Christian behavior. Then I thought, wait a minute, what about the large book of Psalms in the Bible, is this the exception? It is nothing but prayers for bad things to happen to David's enemies. David was hand selected by God to be the second king of Israel, something the first king, Saul, was not on board with and pretty much hunted David to kill him.

Psalms is a book of praise but the prayers for harm to an enemy are vicious. It is a book about "an eye for an eye". "An eye for an eye" in Hebrew which the Old Testament is written in, is translated as "עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן" (pronounced as "ayin tahat ayin" or as I say, THE BIG PAY BACK. No words or imagery is spared in how painful David wants the pay back to be. When Christians are mad, they WANT to be a David in their prayers.

In the Bible, David prays for his enemies to die in Psalms 3, 55, 35, 59, and 71. He asks God to defeat, humble, and judge his enemies because they are evil. 

• Psalm 55:15: David asks God to defeat his enemies and take them to the land of death. 
• Psalm 3:7: David asks God to strike his enemies on the cheek and break their teeth. 
• Psalm 35:8: David asks God to destroy his enemies by making them suffer the same fate they tried to bring to him. 
• Psalm 71: David asks God to confound, consume, and cover his enemies with reproach. 
• Psalm 59: David asks God to consume his enemies in wrath until they are no more.

In the New Testament we see this same idea of "an eye for an eye" as the law of exact retaliation. The law of exact retaliation (Latin: lex talionis), or reciprocal justice, bears the same principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree by the injured party. In softer interpretations, it means the victim receives the [estimated] value of the injury in compensation. The intent behind the principle was to restrict compensation to the value of the loss.

It is human nature for a person to want justice when they have been wronged, but it is not lawful to take matters of retribution into our own hands in most cases. Well, what about David you say? David did NOT do any of the "eye for an eye." he prayed to God and left it in God's hands because he knew ALL of God's word. When David had a chance to kill King Saul, he didn't do it (1 Samuel 24). In Proverbs 20:22 (the book of wisdom) it says, "Do not say, 'I’ll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you." VENGENCE BELONGS to the Lord.

In the New Testament, which is the guide for the modern-day Christian, Romans 2:6 says, God “will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Romans 12:19-21, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good."

I know I've ruined being angry for you. I'm sorry. But it had to be done because the consequences of anger can cause you more harm than what someone else is doing to you. Anger can lead to stealing to get what was taken from you back which is against the law. Anger can lead to murder which is against the law. Anger, when left unmanaged, can lead to a variety of health issues including high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, headaches, digestive problems, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, insomnia, skin conditions like eczema, and potential aggravation of existing conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal disease (GERD), of which I have all. Am I dealing with my anger? Anger is not a friend.

Social media seems to be a dumping ground for anger. People who have never met have WORDS with each other. Letting off 'angry' steam may feel good every now and then but there are people who camp out on social media spending every minute of free time engaging in angry back and forth. It is not healthy, and it is not biblical.

The Bible tells us the HEALTHY way to deal with anger which keeps us from sinning. Praying for those who wrong you to be well and even have THEIR needs met is the instruction. Praying for the wellbeing of others DISSIPATES anger INSIDE of you. WHAT is going on inside of you is what concerns God because he only wants GOOD for YOU which may LOOK different to you. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The phrase "God will see completion of good for you" is essentially referencing the Bible verse Philippians 1:6, which states "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.". This means that God will not only start good things in your life but will also ensure they are brought to fruition and fully completed."

Knowing the Bible and the nature of God allows you to release anger with peaceful faith that God sees and knows all and will handle things and people as he sees fit. This is not to say we let lawlessness and injustice have free reign. No. It is to say to know your part in the equation. We are not to support evil, and we are not to MATCH evil with EVIL. In the Old Testament David prayed for God to be ruthless when dealing with his enemies. In the New Testament, the Christian is shown another way. It's all about OUR OWN actions and our actions can be far reaching.

Waiting with bated breath for the BIG PAY BACK and becoming frustrated when it doesn't come in the way you want nor as soon as you want is living in an unhealthy space. Living in an angry state most times is done without the person you are angry with even being aware of your anger towards them or at least how deep it is. YOU are suffering and not them. Even if they do know, your anger can cause you to go down in flames with them. Don't live like that people. Have righteous anger against evil. Handle things within the law. Follow biblical principles of living. Get rid of anger daily. Trust in the Lord.