Vengeance is Mine
Hang ‘Em High is a classic Clint Eastwood western. An innocent Jed Cooper (Eastwood) barely survives being lynched by a group of vigilantes. Cooper becomes a Marshal to hunt down the men who almost killed him. Throughout the story, Cooper struggles with the morality of taking the law into his own hands. In the end justice it meted out according to the law.
Romans 13 empowers governments with the moral authority to punish evil doers. Unfortunately, in ever increasing frequency, government is letting down on its job. Tragically, the idea of taking the law into one’s own hands is becoming more and more popular.
Numerous TV shows and movies depict the “good guys” breaking the law to bring justice to the “bad guys.” Vigilante law officers and serial killer medical examiners who murder criminals will only inspire more people to take the law into their own hands. This is really nothing new, people have been finding ways to justify their behavior since the days of Cain.
Nevertheless, God said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” When we take the law into our own hands, we are not just violating the laws of man, we are usurping the authority of God. If the government fails to carry out its God-given duty, it is not the place of the individual citizen to step in. Let God deal with it. He will still accomplish His purpose. We have to trust Him on this.
What is the difference between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” if they are both breaking the law? That kind of moral relativism will always lead to trouble. The good guys have to play by the rules–that is what makes them the good guys.
Posted in Ramblings Post on Facebook
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Currently, students are demonstrating during the Olympic torch relay to protest
human rights violations by China in Tibet. Perhaps you would care to comment on whether or not Christians should take part in demonstrations or other forms of civil disobedience.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Sorry, I missed this comment.
There is a place for civil disobedience– we see it practiced in Scripture when the government commands believers contrary to the commands of God. The three Hebrew young men stood up against the king’s command to bow to the idol and the apostles disobeyed the instruction to stop preaching in the name of Jesus.
They appealed to the higher authority of God and put their fate in His hands. Even though they refused to obey the command of the government, they did not rebel against the authority of the government. They still submitted to the penalty for civil disobedience and trusted God for deliverance.