Ezekiel 25:17

These fierce words from Ezekiel speak to God's response when his people are attacked. The prophet is addressing how neighboring nations gloated and plundered Israel during their darkest hour — when Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed. This isn't random violence; it's God's promise that cruelty against the vulnerable won't go unanswered. The phrase "they will know that I am the Lord" appears throughout Ezekiel, showing that God reveals his character through how he judges evil.

God, I'm honest about the anger I carry toward those who've hurt me and others. Thank you that I don't have to carry both the wound and the weapon. Help me trust your justice while releasing my right to revenge. Teach me to leave room for your wrath. Amen.

We flinch at this verse because we've seen vengeance weaponized. The internet mob destroying someone's life over a ten-year-old tweet. The ex who won't stop texting threats. We've all been someone's target, and we've all targeted someone else. So when God says "vengeance is mine," it should make us deeply uncomfortable — because we know what lives in our own hearts. But here's what stops me: God's vengeance isn't petty score-settling. It's the passionate response of a Creator who watched his children be brutalized. The same heart that feels fury at injustice is the heart that later weeps over Jerusalem. This verse isn't permission for us to rage — it's promise that every unseen cruelty matters to God. Your bully from middle school? God saw. The supervisor who sabotaged your career? God noticed. The violence that never made headlines? It's all written down.