The longer I live the more I realize that there are many people who are people for war. They constantly look for controversy and if there’s none to be had will start it themselves. And, if you’re anything like me, you can be pulled into anger and hostility by such people. You don’t look for controversy from them but it can be hard to respond well when their anger and hostility are pointed directly at you.
I have at times worked with people who would be described as people for war. They are an intolerable group of people to work with. They can make your life completely miserable. I am related to a person or two that would be described as people for war. They have a tendency to make family get-togethers quite miserable. You will occasionally run into these people in public places also. They make Wal-Mart a lot of fun…
How Do You Respond?
I have to fight my own sinfulness in this matter. I have a tendency to respond to people with brash anger and hostility. It is like saying, “Okay, if you want a fight then you’ve got one.” This is not good. This is getting sucked into the war and anger mentality. This is not a good response. How do you respond to these people? What do you do when they aim their anger and hostility toward you beckoning for you to go to war?
First Response: A Prayer For Deliverance
The Psalmist deals with this as he depicts the plight of a person who is dwelling far away from the temple among a people who love hostility. He prays for God’s deliverance from these people. He is distressed as they lie and are deceitful, very likely toward him (Psalm 120:1-2). So, the first thing that the Psalmist does is pray for God to deliver him out of the situation.
I am personally incapable of dealing with a person of this nature. Their fighting and war is beyond my ability to control. If left to myself I will respond in kind. I have to pray for God to deliver me. Whether that be His supernatural strength to deal with the situation or Him getting rid of the situation, I need Him or I will fail.
Second Response: Trust God To Make It Right
His second response is what you might expect. He is very angry toward these people. He sees them as one day receiving the just punishment for their lying and deceitfulness.
“What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!” – Psalm 120: 3-4 ESV
This may seem harsh, but the reality is that people really do treat us in sinful ways. There is no doubt that the person who is constantly looking for a fight is wrong. There is no doubt that they deserve to be punished for their behavior. But, it is not up to us to dole out the punishments. God is the One who will make things right.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:19-21 ESV
So, when a person is wronging you, then you are to trust that God will punish their sin accordingly. It is God who avenges for us and we trust Him to do so.
As a side note, this is not the way believers are to deal with one another. If a professing Christian is behaving this way then the principles laid out in Matthew 18:15-20; Titus 3:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5 apply. Believers are to be treated differently because of their relationship with us and God.
Third Response: A Conscious Decision To Be Peaceful
The Psalmist has made a decision to be a person of peace in the midst of people of war. With all his heart he longs for peace, but as for now, he dwells among lying and deceitful people of war. For now, the peace he longs for alludes him.
“Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” – Psalm 120: 6-7 ESV
We have to make up our minds and set our faces toward being people of peace. This is hard. This is not the natural response for many of us. It is not my natural response. But I must be resolute in this. I have to set my mind on being peaceful. We have to resolve that so far as it depends on us, we will live in peace with all people (Romans 12:17-18).
Conclusion
Christianity is hard. One of the things that make it so hard is the war that we have to wage with ourselves, not with others. Sure, there are times when Christians are called to action and many people will be offended, but avenging ourselves is not one of them.
Rather than avenging ourselves we must pray for God’s deliverance in the situation, trust God to do the avenging for us, and decide that we will be peaceful people. This is incredibly hard, but a war that believers are called to wage against ourselves. And when we fail, we must repent of our sin and trust in the Savior who died and rose cleansing us from our sin.
R. Dwain Minor
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