PONG

This week I have been listening to a series by Pastor Rob Bell on forgiveness. The first message in the series titled "Drop the Jawbone" centers around the story of Samson and the Philistines in Judges 15.

Judges 15
Samson's Vengeance on the Philistines
1 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in.

2 "I was so sure you thoroughly hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your friend. Isn't her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead."

3 Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them." 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

6 When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his friend."
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. 7 Samson said to them, "Since you've acted like this, I won't stop until I get my revenge on you." 8 He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.

9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?"
"We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us."

11 Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?"
He answered, "I merely did to them what they did to me."

12 They said to him, "We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines."
Samson said, "Swear to me that you won't kill me yourselves."

13 "Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

Wow. What an intense and crazy story, right? But how is what Samson did any different than what we do when we are harmed?

3 Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them."

How many times have we ourselves said this when we are harmed? Be it by someones words, or actions; how many times do we find ourselves "justifying" the act of revenge.
In the message Pastor Bell explains the premise that people can get caught up in something he calls "relational PONG."

"[Revenge] is the PONG of the heart. 'You hurt me here it comes.'
Bong.
Bong.
Bong.
The story of Samson is so primitive and barbaric and ancient and kinda like 'Come on it's 2009' but revenge may not involve jawbones but its still, primitive and barbaric and brutal. 'I'm only doing them what they did to me. This time I have a right. I'll show them not to mess with me.' Forgiveness begins when we are willing to put the jawbone down and we decide 'I am not going to play PONG with this one.'
Forgiveness begins when you surrender your urge for revenge. Because you have understood that it doesn't work. You never get revenge."

How true is that? How many times do we find ourselves caught up in this little game that we so desperately want out of but just can't seem to drop the paddle? For me it has been too many. Revenge is a drug. It is something that we can so easily be caught up in because it feels good. It is natural to lash out at someone who has just hurt you. But in doing so we begin this game of PONG that can be more harmful than what initially started it in the first place. The bible says:

Romans 12:19
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

When we lash out ourselves we take the power out of God's hands and say. "I don't trust You to handle this."
Check out the rest of the series on forgiveness. It is just as awesome as this first message, and I pray that it touches your heart, and sheds some light on the jawbones you are holding onto in your life as it did mine.

Blessings,

A.