His stuffed his mouth, swallowing without chewing. His lips drooled spit and with every single bite he complained. The taste was bitter. The texture was brittle, and sharp. Salivating was painful as the glands spewed so much digestive enzyme it caused his tongue to swell and his head hurt. He found no real delight in eating and could not get full. He was eating vengeance. Vengeance has many flavors. None of the flavors fulfill or satisfy. Once ingested, it slowly burns and churns it’s way down into the stomach where it causes a sensation of nausea with belching, but without the ability to vomit. His intestines cramped, but he could pass neither flatulence (fart), solid or liquid stool. And yet, he continued to eat more vengeance expecting that somehow it would give him pleasure. This was his dilemma. How to hurt those to whom he felt animosity and feel good about it in the process. Vengeance is a bad recipe.
It is a very bad strategy for living. It is a self defeating strategy. The appetite is never satisfied. It relishes and perversely delights in causing pain and discomfort. Vengeance never closes it’s mouth at the feasting table except partially, to smile at the misery inflicted. There is never enough suffering, crying or tears extracted from the person or people deemed worthy of our derision. The person who loves vengeance will eat and eat again. Their stomach will rumble and rumble again, and still feel empty.
There is no joy, no peace, no sweet taste in vengeance only bitter, lip puckering, tongue burning, stomach churning sensation. Vengeance never satisfies. It feeds on hate and hurt. It rehearses and relives past offenses.
We live in a world where vengeance is lived as the only option. We are made to believe that the only way to find peace is to disturb the peace of those who have or possibly will offend us.
As followers of Christ, we are commanded to love. We can never say we serve God our Father and at the same time practice revenge. We are called to love. Because he that loves God, must love his brother.
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:34 KJV
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20 KJV
We salivate and ruminate over revenge and getting even. We will never be satisfied because only God can make wrong things right. That is why He declares:
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Romans 12:19 KJV