1 O LORD G.o.d, to whom vengeance belongeth; O G.o.d, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

Everybody goes towards the direction of his best in life. If you fight for yourself, G.o.d cannot help you. But he is a G.o.d of vengeance. He has no time limit. Revenge and vengeance look the same but they are not the same. Revenge means doing something bad to someone who has done badly to you.

Many murder cases are as a result of revenge. Do we see how many months it took Pharaoh to let the people go even after the economy has been destroyed?

Today some people go to occultic houses to revenge the evil done to them. But it is done out of bitterness for the mentality is "I either have it or destroy it". Today many believers still hold to revenge like Lucifer who is causing trouble today in this world so as to get back at G.o.d who sent him out of heaven.

This same spirit of revenge entered into Saul the first king of Israel. He wanted to destroy David by all means. He tried to instigate his son Jonathan to kill David his friend and when Jonathan was trying to appeal to his common sense; he took a spear to kill him.

This shows the extent that Saul was ready to go. Jonathan was ready to become number two but Saul was not ready for this until the two of them died the same day.

This same spirit of Lucifer made people who are humble to begin with, cut away from the mother church that sent them to pastor.

A man can be so ambitious that he will kill and sacrifice his own son to get power. Beloved you must release those that hurt you for G.o.d to fight for you.

Vengeance: It is a punishment given to someone for harm they have done to you. It is not you doing bad to get it back at them but allowing the law of recompense to take its due

Psalm 73:13-17

13Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.

15If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

16When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

17Until I went into the sanctuary of G.o.d; then understood I their end.

For instance G.o.d did not kill Pharaoh and his army, in the Red sea. He only brought back the open sea to flow and it was the responsibility of Pharaoh not to have walked himself to an obvious suicide, G.o.d is a G.o.d of vengeance.

Romans 12:19

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Don't allow the pain of regret like the psalmist went through in Psalm 73:13-17 to have its hold on your spirit . You shouldn't allow bitterness, for G.o.d will turn things around for you. Looking at Jacob's life we see Laban deceiving Jacob thereby forcing Leah on him. This deception brought bad blood to the new family of Jacob. He hated Leah.

The mistake of Sarah brought about by her advising Abraham to bring in Hagar resulted into Ishmael. Ishmael and her mother had to be painfully sent out of Abraham's house. G.o.d backed the woman to send Hagar and Ishmael away in the life time of Abraham. The mistake of Abraham affected the upbringing of an innocent Ishmael.

Stop giving heed to hatred and bitterness in your life for they will poison your human spirit. Nothing cripples your faith than bitterness. Many have slowed down their journeys to greatness by not allowing G.o.d to fight their battles for if they will give G.o.d a chance to defend their cause, they will found reasons to rejoice over their enemies

Reuben was born into the privilege of being the firstborn. In Israel, the firstborn is ent.i.tled to a double portion. The firstborn is the might and beginning of a father's strength. He is the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. But the privilege of the firstborn became corrupted by the circ.u.mstances of Reuben's birth. He was a product of a deceptive marriage. The father in law of Jacob deceived him into marrying a wrong woman. He exalted the custom of his land above integrity by getting Leah married instead of Rachael.

Genesis 29:21-26

21And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.

22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

23And it came to pa.s.s in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

24And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.

25And it came to pa.s.s, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?

26And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

You can be sure the deception of Laban would have gone a long way to producing bitterness in Jacob. The birth of Reuben would therefore be an undesired delivery. No wonder the animosity in the home of Jacob must have created a negative att.i.tude and bitterness in the mind of Reuben. His upbringing would have been affected so much so that he grew up to hate his biological father. Years earlier before the death of Jacob, Reuben had slept with Bilhah, one of his father's concubines.

Genesis 35:22

22 And it came to pa.s.s, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

Can you see the disrespect and dishonor of Reuben for his father? But this all started before he was born. It was a transferred aggression but the consequence waited for Reuben in his future. Just before his death, Jacob gathered his sons around his bedside in Egypt for a final family conference. He had in mind to bless his children and to make predictions about their future based on their character traits. Reuben had lived foolishly and his father did not confront him earlier until his death bed when Jacob informed Reuben that, despite his position of being the eldest son, and despite his natural gifts and abilities, he would not receive the blessings usually granted the firstborn. When a child gets out of line, it is the responsibility of parents to correct him or her in an att.i.tude of love and let him understand that a wrong behavior costs something. A disobedience of today will one day cause a child to forfeit special privileges in the future. It was a painful lesson for the oldest Reuben but this problem originated as a result of the bad blood in the home of Jacob. The problem was created by a manipulative father-in-law called Laban.

Genesis 49:3-4

3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Why should a son, in his right mind decides to temper with his destiny by sinning against a man who fought an angel to a standstill

Romans 13:3-5

3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of G.o.d to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of G.o.d, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

Some children born into unstable homes have grown up to believe that it is weakness of character to agree with authority. No one is ever born free; for everyone is in chain either to the devil or to G.o.d. The emblems of authority are in every place, created by G.o.d to preserve what he has made.

A woman once came to a prophetic man with tears in her eyes. Her three (3) years old child is a concern to her. At his age he ought to be playing with baby toys but instead her son preferred pursuing small animals around the yard to kill, maim and destroy. He would vent angers on creatures and the mother perceiving wickedness at such a tender age was worried. G.o.d showed the man of G.o.d a vision of this woman's attempt to abort the pregnancy of this child because it was inconvenient to give birth at that time. Every attempt to abort the pregnancy failed so she had to endure what she could not change. A suicide spirit entered into the child from the womb and with this tendency, the boy would one day shed innocent blood. He would end up in the prison if not delivered. The suicidal tendency motivated by a suicide spirit was cast out of the child to be free. We never should underestimate what is behind the behavior of people. What spirit they are yielding to that is motivating them to do what they are doing.

The writer of Hebrew speaking by the Holy Spirit says

Hebrews 12:14-17

14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of G.o.d; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

It surely takes time for wound to be healed but if you keep opening a wound to everybody, you will not allow the wound to get healed. At a time in the ministry of Prophet Jeremiah, he faced numerous, unfair treatment from people G.o.d sent him to. He was rejected, insulted, blackmailed, slapped, and imprisoned at various times. He allowed what he went through to affect his mind to a level of telling G.o.d that he had disappointed him. The situation of life should not define us for our condition is not our position with G.o.d. Hear what Jeremiah said to G.o.d out of a bitter heart.

Jeremiah 15:15-18 (TLB)

15Then Jeremiah replied, "Lord, you know it is for your sake that I am suffering. They are persecuting me because I have proclaimed your word to them. Don't let them kill me! Rescue me from their clutches, and give them what they deserve!

16Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear your name, O Lord.

17-18I have not joined the people in their merry feasts. I sit alone beneath the hand of G.o.d. I burst with indignation at their sins. Yet you have failed me in my time of need! You have let them keep right on with all their persecutions. Will they never stop hurting me? Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain brook- sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone."

Can you imagine the level of frustration that Jeremiah allowed through a negative thought. He said G.o.d is unreliable; but G.o.d had to stop him in this foolishness.

Jeremiah 15:19-21 (TLB)

19 The Lord replied: "Stop this foolishness and talk some sense! Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman. You are to influence them, not let them influence you!

20 They will fight against you like a besieging army against a high city wall. But they will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and deliver you," says the Lord.

21"Yes, I will certainly deliver you from these wicked men and rescue you from their ruthless hands."

Looking also at the life of David we can see something very similar to what happened to Jeremiah.

I Samuel 17:26,27

26And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncirc.u.mcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living G.o.d?

27And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

But Saul never fulfilled these promises even though David risked his life to defeat the giant. Saul was anointed to lead Israel to battle and if no one was willing to fight the giant it could have been him who would be forced to meet the giant in combat. But David went up to die his death so to say. We should not make the mistake of generalization. This David at one time faced disappointment from people. He said in the book of Psalm.

Psalms 116:11

11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.

How many men has the Psalmist related with that made him reach that conclusion? He said it out of haste and haste arrives nowhere in G.o.d. n.o.body gets drunk in haste and if G.o.d will do concrete, solid things in our lives we must not make the mistake of placing everybody in the same box of condemnation. Stop looking for revenge and allow G.o.d to avenge for you.

Romans 5:5

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of G.o.d is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Allow the love of G.o.d in your heart to be released. Life may be unfair on earth but G.o.d is a just G.o.d. He will vindicate you as he did in the life of David. A teenager anointed in the presence of his brethren was anointed by one of the foremost Prophet of our time. Samuel anointed David, the son of Jesse in a quiet ordination as a replacement for Saul. HE was a kid but G.o.d saw a king in the kid. He saw into the future and G.o.d started to orchestrate him to the very top by unusual event. He was to deliver food to his brethren who had gone for many days to the war front. For those forty days, a giant named Goliath had come up to hara.s.s the army of Israel. The King was a tall man but he met a man taller than him, in the giant. He defiled the army of Israel as recorded in the seventeenth chapter of first Samuel.

1 Samuel 17:25

25And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

The ultimate purpose of David was to roll away the reproach of an uncirc.u.mcised Philistine who he heard defying the army of Israel. His experience in the backside of the wilderness with the bear and lion was enough testimony for him. He also was attracted to the reward attached to defeating the giant. G.o.d is not against us making profit with our skills and talents.

King Saul, driven by envy and jealousy of a teenager did not remember the good work of David. He did not honour the agreement to allow the King's first daughter to marry him

I Samuel 18:17-19

17And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

18And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

19But it came to pa.s.s at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.

But that king's daughter was given out to someone else thus robbing David of the benefit of conquest. There is an eternal law of sowing and reaping for whatever comes around will turn around.

Galatians 6:7-8

7 Be not deceived; G.o.d is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Twenty one times, Saul attempted to destroy David but G.o.d did not give him to the hand of Saul. He eventually became a king of Israel according to the promise of G.o.d.

A time came when there was serial famine in the land of Israel. Things were hard for people and David in his supplication found out the cause from the Lord.

2 Samuel 21:3-6

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in

Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

You will see how G.o.d avenges the Gibeonites through David in the twenty first chapter of the second Samuel

II Samuel 21:1-6

1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his b.l.o.o.d.y house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

What would David have done than to accept the condition given by the Gibeonites. He would never have wished to revenge the misdeeds of King Saul but G.o.d's vengeance was at work in this story. All of Saul's direct sons had died on the mount of Gilboa with their father. Jonathan the covenant friend of David had also died in that battle. There was no option but to offer the five sons of Merab and two sons of Rizpah, the concubine of Saul. Merab, the daughter of Saul would have been married to David based on the vow of Saul to give his daughter to whosoever would kill Goliath. But in his pettiness he gave her to Adriel the Meholathite in marriage. The five sons she had for Adriel had to be sacrificed in one day to appease the bloodshed by Saul, the father of their mother. What an irony; the lesson is that whatever man sows he will reap. G.o.d knows how to take vengeance. You should be ready to look like a fool for a while until G.o.d vindicates you.

Psalms 125:1-5

They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.

2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even forever.

3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.

4 Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.

5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

Joseph was taken to the very top by divine providence because he understood the power of forgiveness. At the death and burial of their father his brethren felt unsecure; thinking that Joseph would revenge all the evil they did to him. They now fabricated a lie telling Joseph what their father did not say.

Genesis 50:15-18

15And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

16And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

17So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespa.s.s of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespa.s.s of the servants of the G.o.d of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

18And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

The brethren of Joseph could not forgive themselves even after seventeen years of Joseph goodness to them. It is always convenient to lie against the dead father after all there is no way to verify from the dead. They must have thought perhaps that Joseph had forgiven them only for the sake of Jacob. This was an unnecessary fear for Joseph had already proved his love to them in many ways. But G.o.dly men who G.o.d truly lift like Joseph would not hold grudges like unreasonable sinners. So Joseph with tears in his eyes responded to them.

Genesis 50:17b , 19-21

17b And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I

in the place of G.o.d?

20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but G.o.d meant it unto good, to bring to pa.s.s, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Can you see the large heartedness of Joseph? There was no iota of revenge in him for the next eighty years of his rulers.h.i.+p

We can learn the power of forgiveness in Joseph that made him get to the very top.

1. He did not even tell the house of Pharaoh what his brethren did to him for if he has done that, the royal house in Egypt would have thrown them into Pharaoh's dungeon. He spoke well of them to Pharaoh. For you to get a wound healed, you will need to cover it up after treatment. The more you tell the story of injustice and unfairness the more the wound will not heal.

2. Joseph brought his brothers nearer to himself. They were scared to death when he first introduced himself to them. They could have wished that the ground under them opened and swallowed them up. He moved towards them. What they did, even though it was terrible is not equal to restoration and fulfillment of destiny. G.o.d told their great grandfather Abram that he would take his seed to a strange land.

Genesis 15:13,14

13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

3. He told them not to be angry with themselves. Instead of further messing up the whole situation, playing the blame game, he helped them to forget their miseries. The light had swallowed up the darkness for G.o.d had used the wickedness of the enemies to advance his course. He even went further to tell them to see G.o.d in the whole issue. Hear Joseph.

Genesis 45:5

5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for G.o.d did send me before you to preserve life.

Joseph saw the hand of G.o.d to promote him than the hand of the devil to keep him down. The psalmist writing about the experience of Joseph states.

Psalms 105:16-22

16Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.

17He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

18Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:

19Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

20The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.

21He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:

22To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.

Joseph was generous with his love.

4. He protected his brethren from their darkest secret

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Jeremiah 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Before life is over, all of us will have our turn to play a fool. Is it not foolish of his brethren to think they could defeat G.o.d's plan and purpose for Joseph? But we serve a G.o.d who turns adversity into advancement and tests into testimonies. What he did for Joseph he will also do in your life if you reject ill-feeling and bitterness. The heart is where the issue of life spring forth and so it must be carefully protected