Proverbs 24:29Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”Proverbs Daily is a reader-supported publication. All posts are free, but all donations help spread the message. When you see the word "upgrade," you're simply invited to help me make the sacred positively contagious...thank you in advance for becoming a free or paid subscriber.Revenge… is a tar pit.Now, I know my modernized city folk might need me to explain that one. A tar pit…LaBrea Style. It looks harmless—shimmering like water in the sun—but it’s a trap. Some massive beast steps toward it, thinking it’s found a drink, but the second it engages the dark shimmering surface, it’s over. The more the animal thrashes, the deeper it sinks. Flesh and bones of predator and prey, stuck side by side, rotting in the goopy, stink of what looked like a harmless oily puddle, but was in reality an ancient graveyard of struggle. Is that too dramatic?Well, that’s what revenge does to all of us. I know James Brown made it sound good in ‘The Big Payback, but the only “get-back” you end up with…is getting back into the pit. And the harder you fight to make someone else pay, the more trapped you become.Does God Like Revenge? I know it may seem hard to believe that revenge robs you, especially when you look at the Bible. The earliest depictions of God in Scripture seem to give us mixed signals where God is like, “Disobey me—I’ll kick you out the garden. Murder your brother—I’ll mark you as a fugitive for life. Keep on sinning—I’ll flood the earth…I’ll rain down fire and burn this whole place down!” And that’s just the first book–Genesis! At first glance, it’s almost like God is the ultimate “vengeful One.”But the more we look into these “documentaries of the Divine”...especially by the time we get to the Prophets, and add in the Psalms and Proverbs—and ultimately when we see Jesus—we discover a fuller truth: God’s nature was never about petty payback. What changed wasn’t Him, it was our understanding of Him. So Jesus calls Him “Abba Father.” We see that God’s justice is rooted not in retaliation, but in restoration.The Deficit of Revenge And that’s where Proverbs 24:29 steps in:“Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.’”Revenge feels natural. Someone pushes, we push back. Someone cuts deep, we want to cut deeper. It’s instinct—but so is peeing in the bed. And at some point, you’ve got to grow up and grow out of it.Clinically speaking, revenge is a deficit emotion. It promises satisfaction but delivers emptiness. The brain gets a little surge when we imagine “getting even,” but studies show that those who act on revenge end up feeling worse, not better. It keeps us tethered to the person or the situation that hurt us, stuck in the past, replaying the wound on repeat. That’s not justice. That’s bondage.So Let Me Give You ThisRevenge doesn’t make you stronger. It keeps you stuck. Revenge doesn’t set you free. It cements you in place. Revenge is a tar pit. And the only fossils left behind… are the ones who couldn’t let go.PrayerLord, free my heart from revenge; teach me Your mercy.Today’s ChallengeToday, when you feel the urge to “get back,” pause. Ask yourself: Am I stepping into a tar pit, or walking toward freedom? Let it go. And choose the path that keeps you moving forward.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app or just click that Subscribe button right now!Be Wise and Be Well...peace.Thanks for reading Proverbs Daily! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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