A God of vengeances.
Aglen, in Ellicott's 'Commentary,' proposes to render, "God of retributions, Jehovah, God of retributions, shine forth." The idea in the term "vengeances" would be better expressed by the term "avengements." God is thought of as the great Goel-Avenger of his oppressed and afflicted people, and therefore the One to whom appeal should be made in any particular time of distress. The word "vengeance" includes the idea of heated personal feeling. The word "avengement" sets prominently family relations and duties. The Apostle St. Paul expresses this thought of God, when he commands that "no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the Avenger of all such" (1 Thessalonians 4:6). The "avenger of blood" is a familiar figure in the Mosaic constitution. But Moses only adopted and modified an original tribal institution. The main functions of the Hebrew Goel, Avenger, or Redeemer, were three.
1. If any Hebrew had fallen into penury, and been compelled to part with his ancestral estate, the family avenger was bound to redeem it and restore it.
2. If any Hebrew had been taken captive, or had sold himself as a slave, the goel had to buy him back, and set him free.
3. If any Hebrew had suffered wrong, or had been killed, the goel had to exact compensation for the wrong, or to avenge the murder. It is evident that the psalmist lived in a time when wickedness triumphed in high places. We may think of the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, when the condition of Jehovah's prophets and people seemed to be hopeless; they could only cry mightily to God, seeking his preservations and his deliverances. The psalmist had no confidence in the existing rulers, who should have been the avengers of all the poor, the wronged, and the distressed. He had confidence in God, of whom it can be said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay."
I. MAN CANNOT AVENGE HIMSELF.
1. Because those who wrong him are often quite beyond his reach or control.
2. Because he has not at command the requisite forces.
3. Because he is not self master enough to temper justice with mercy.
4. Because he cannot be strictly judicial, but is sure to spoil his avengings by introducing personal feeling.
5. Because he is in grave peril of injuring himself in his avengings.
II. MAN MAY RESTFULLY LET GOD AVENGE HIM.
1. Because his power is sufficient.
2. His self-restraints are perfect.
3. His time is best.
4. His avengings prove to be blessings both for the wronged and for the wrong doer.—R.T.