Dearly beloved
This affectionate appellation the apostle makes use of,
expressing his great love to them, the rather to work upon then,
and move them to an attention to what he is about to say; which
they might assure themselves was in great tenderness to them, for
their good, as well as the glory of God: moreover, he may hereby
suggest to them, not only that they were dear to him, but that
they were greatly beloved of God, that they were high in his
favour and affection; and this he might him unto them, in order
to melt them into love to their fellow Christians and fellow
creatures, and even to their enemies, and never think of private
revenge:
avenge not yourselves;
this is no ways contrary to that revenge, a believer has upon
sin, and the actings of it, which follows on true evangelical
repentance for it, ( 2
Corinthians 7:11 ) , and lies in a displicency at it, and
himself for it, and in abstaining from it, and fighting against
it; nor to that revenge a church may take of the disobedience of
impenitent and incorrigible offenders, by laying censures on
them, withdrawing from them, and rejecting them from their
communion; nor to that revenge which civil magistrates may
execute upon them that do evil; but this only forbids and
condemns private revenge in private persons, for private injuries
done, and affronts given:
but rather give place to wrath;
either to a man's own wrath, stirred up by the provocations given
him; let him not rush upon revenge immediately; let him sit down
and breathe upon it; let him "give" (arta) , "space", unto it, as the Syriac, which may
signify time as well as place; and by taking time his wrath will,
subside, he will cool and come to himself, and think better on
it: or to the wrath of the injurious person, by declining him, as
Jacob did Esau, till his wrath was over; or by patiently hearing
without resistance the evil done, according to the advice of
Christ, ( Matthew 5:39
Matthew
5:40 ) ; or to the wrath of God, leave all with him, and to
the day of his wrath and righteous judgment, who will render to
every man according to his works; commit yourselves to him that
judgeth righteously, and never think of avenging your own wrongs;
and this sense the following words incline to,
for it is written,
( Deuteronomy 32:35 ) ;
vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the
Lord;
vengeance belongs to God, and to him only; it is proper and
peculiar to him, not to Heathen deities, one of which they call
(dikh) , "vengeance"; see (
Acts 28:4 ) ;
nor to Satan, who is of a revengeful spirit, and is styled the
enemy and the avenger; nor to men, unless to magistrates under
God, who are revengers and executioners of his wrath on wicked
men; otherwise it solely belongs to God the lawgiver, whose law
is broken, and against whom sin is committed: and there is reason
to believe he will "repay" it, from the holiness of his nature,
the strictness of his justice, his power and faithfulness, his
conduct towards his own people, even to his Son, as their surety;
nor will he neglect, but in his own time will avenge his elect,
which cry unto him day and night; and who therefore should never
once think of avenging themselves, but leave it with their God,
to whom it belongs.