A second application from 1 Samuel 24 concerns the matter of vengeance. Vengeance belongs to the LORD (cf. Leviticus 19:17–18; Deuteronomy 32:35–36; Romans 12:19). He must bring judgement in his time. He must intervene to remove ungodly kings. That doesn’t mean we are not allowed to make use of lawful means to address wrongdoing. Living in a democracy, many people have a say in who their leaders will be, albeit a small one. There is also the justice system to which we can appeal for redress. What we must not do however, is to take the law into our own hands. We work within the law, not outside it. And as we do so, we pray. We pray for God’s kingdom to come. We pray for God to bring vengeance. We pray for an end to war and suffering. We pray for the mouths of false preachers to be stopped (cf. Galatians 1:6–9). We pray for the persecutors of God’s church to be converted and if not, removed from this world. Those are the prayers that we find in the Psalms. Those are the prayers of a people who wait on the LORD. Those are our prayers, the prayers that we sing and the prayers that we teach to our children on their earthly pilgrimage.

When we pray for God to bring vengeance, he works in us by his Spirit so that we are more open to forgive and to treat our enemies with love. We trust that he will do what is right. We remember that we have been shown a mercy that we do not deserve.