God had years ago told his people never to take vengeance in any way because “vengeance is mine” (Deuteronomy 32:35; see further Deuteronomy 32:41, Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 94:1; Nahum 1:2). In Jesus’ case, however, the Lord God did not exact vengeance on Jesus’ abusers; he instead rejected Jesus in his suffering, and so made his suffering more acute (Matthew 27:45–46). The reason for this rejection is found in the passage Peter is working with here, Isaiah 53 (especially Isaiah 53:4–5: “He was pierced because of our transgressions”). Yet Jesus “entrusted himself” to the righteous justice of this God in the conviction that all would work out well in the end precisely because this God “judged justly” (Isaiah 1:27); in the end he would be accepted together with all those for whose sins he would suffer. That in turn means that God’s own people may know themselves safe with God even in their suffering for he will never leave them or forsake them (see Psalm 27:1; Psalm 56:9; Psalm 118:6; Hebrews 13:5).
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.