Epaggelia

v1-4, God is the Lord of vengeance, which is why we should leave vengeance to Him, and bless our enemies, instead of curse them. Using the words of Jesus, benefits The Lord, and will ultimately bring rewards, even in this life, Luke 6:27-38. This is not the modern false-gospel of prosperity, but rather a dependence on God to provide a cup that overflows with blessings in the face of our enemy. The Jews were promised the same type of justice in Deuteronomy 32:3-5. Blessings are rarely seen as monetary.

v5, We may marvel at persecution and wonder why God allows it to this day, but it’s nothing new, our victory is secured in our faith of Christ’s resurrection. Remember John during his persecution had this to hold on to when he saw the vision of the bloody prostitute, Rev. 17:6.

V6-10, Because our Lord is both Ruler & Creator, then everything God’s creation does, He both understands and judges. His rule does not necessitate arbitrary authority, but rather a power that controls our consequences, not our choices. If God controlled our choices, then His power & authority would be motivated by fear, not love. Love allows freedom and liberty to make serious mistakes, but powerful justice demands the perfect consequence!

V11-13, see 1st Corinthians 3:20.

v14-15, see Romans 11:1. This passage contains one of the most comforting promises in the entire Bible, v14 is the preface for Hebrews 13:5.

v16-18, Both the Psalmist and Paul, had a connection with Daniel’s victory over the lions, see 2nd Timothy 4:16-17. God protected them and he will protect us to do His will, not our own. The phrase “living in the Land of Silence”, is a clear reference to the Psalmists faith in God’s powerful protection even AFTER death. Even when we as Christians are convinced we are going to receive the death sentence, it happens, because God wants us to rely on Him for life itself, 2nd Corinthians 1:9. God did not kill the lions for Daniel, he merely shut their mouths. He leaves the threat of physical persecution very real in our life, but secures us safely in spirit. Why? So that even our enemies can see our faith in God’s goodness even in the face of what they call the worst case scenario.

v19, If we want to be really happy, deep down inside, we need to first rely on God’s encouragement. Philippians 4:4 is a command which necessitates faith in God’s fulfilled promises, personally! Then and only then can we efficiently cast our anxieties upon the Lord because, we not only believe he cares, but from experience, we KNOW he cares.

v20-23,   Wicked rulers can not be allied with God, but God can indeed appoint governments that allow evil people to lead in the work of making & enforcing laws that affect Christians, see Romans 13:1-3. Ultimately, the following comes true for every governing ruler that is evil, “But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.~ Psa. 94:22-23