The Prerogative of Vengeance

Yesterday Casey Anthony was found innocent of wrongdoing in her daughter Caylee’s death, except for lying to the police. To read the posts of Facebook and listen to the dumdits on cable news, the twelve jurors must have been asleep at the wheel. Obviously, according to most of what I’ve read and heard outside the courtroom, Casey Anthony was clearly guilty of killing her daughter and should be attaining room temperature real soon.

If you are of that opinion, I will give you $100 for any solid piece of eyewitness testimony or forensic evidence that supports your position. I imagine the prosecution would give a lot more.

Beloved, Casey Anthony is indeed a liar; she and her defense lawyers admitted so. She, from all accounts in the press, was a terrible mother. She is no doubt a basket case. But does that make her guilty of murder?

Yes, I just know she is! I can feel it in my heart! What about poor Caylee? She was not served by justice yesterday!

Would she have been had Casey been put to death for a crime she did not commit?

Some people acted yesterday as though Caylee suffered again because of their perceiving a miscarriage of justice.

Beloved, that precious little girl stopped suffering three years ago. She is with Jesus. Whatever horrific death she experienced, she is in glory right now. Let us never forget that.

But more importantly, let us learn something about this case and ourselves.

Our criminal justice system is not perfect; as one man rightly posted on his Facebook page, someone got away with murder. It truly seems that way, but here is the truth. No one is getting away with murder; no one ever has, nor will they. I want you to slowly read Paul’s words:

    “Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:16c-21)

Most people who are upset about the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial are so because they want to avenge Caylee’s life. I understand that but we must remember that the Bible teaches that vengeance is God prerogative. John Phillips explains:

    Those who take revenge into their own hands are apt to pierce themselves through with many sorrows and find at last that vengeance is a bitter fruit. When God avenges a wrong He does so with perfect equity and justice, never in that spirit of retaliation which so characterizes human schemes of vengeance.

Vengeance is a bitter fruit and let’s say that the hyperventilating hyena lawyers and news anchors on FOXNews and other stations got the guilty verdict they were so convinced was coming and had convinced most of their viewers. And let’s say Casey Anthony received the death penalty as is the punishment here in Florida. Many, many would have been satisfied.

But let’s also say that as all of these, wiser than the jurors (at least in their own eyes), were beginning to suck down the fruit of vengeance, after Casey is executed, overcome by remorse the real killer comes forward and confesses to killing Caylee. It is at that point, as the juice is running down your chin, that the fruit reveals its bitterness.

I’ve also heard and read some quite disturbing comments about Casey’s defense lawyers. There once was another lawyer who was greatly disliked. Some considered him a traitor, by even his own cousin, because he defended whom most thought of as the enemy. But this lawyer knew, from his classic liberal arts training and more importantly his Biblical worldview, that the accused always warrant a fair trial. He spoke these famous words:

    “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of the facts and evidence”

This lawyer became a signer of the Declaration of Independence and our 1st Vice President and our 2nd President. John Adams, in my humble opinion, is credited with almost single-handedly convincing the 56 signers to declare America’s independence. While it was Thomas Jefferson’s eloquent pen that brought the Declaration before the signers, it was John Adams convincing argument that brought the signers to the Declaration.

Adams believed that to survive we had to be a nation of laws, that our form of government had to be one of law. And when we forego the rule of law because we do not like the outcome of a verdict, than we become nothing more that a mob at a hanging party.

My daughters always make me proud. My oldest Tiffany made me especially proud yesterday when she posted these words on her Facebook page:

    As I’m seeing my news feed fill with comments regarding the Casey Anthony trial, I have one thing to say. My God knows if she is guilty or not and He is the ONLY Judge that is worthy to condemn her when it is time and His judgment is never wrong. If she truly did this heinous act then rest assured…she will have to deal with HIM when her time comes. I will take peace in knowing that verdict….

Well said my sweet girl. King Solomon said much the same thing:

    “For the LORD will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them.” (Proverbs 22:23)

What Tiffany wrote and Solomon promises, is that not only is there God’s prerogative of vengeance, but there is also God’s principle of vengeance.

More on that tomorrow…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2011 David Jeffers

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