Payback For Evil Deeds, Psalm 28:4

Repay them according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.
-Psalm 28:4

We can pray for vengeance, but it has to be rooted in the cause of God.

The whole gospel is not God loves you, nor God is mad.

The real deal, the truth is that God loves sinners and he calls them to believe in the Son and repent.

God does judge and punish sin and evil.  God is kind and severe (Romans 11:22).

God is both good and fierce.

Reality is that there is sin and evil which are punished and avenged by God. The gospel is not that God is humane, but that God is kind and severe.

There is a false gospel, a false belief that is widespread that has been called Moral Therapeutic Deism, that says this:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die. (1.)

This is not the message of the Bible.  This is not the gospel message contained in the New Testament.

A truth, is that God hates evil, wicked behavior, as described here:

Worthless people and guilty people
go around with crooked talk.
They wink their eyes, gesture with their feet,
and point with their fingers.
Their hearts are corrupt and determined to do evil;
they create controversies all the time.
Therefore, sudden disaster will come upon them;
they will be quickly broken beyond healing.

There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven things detestable to him:
snobbish eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that spill innocent blood,
a heart set on wicked plans,
feet that run quickly to evil,
a false witness who breathes lies,
and one who causes conflicts among relatives.
-Proverbs 6:12-19 (CEB)

The severity message goes together with the kindness message.

Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you—if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
-Romans 11:22

Back to Psalm 28:

Repay them according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.
-Psalm 28:4

"Repay them" = Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution.

This is not private revenge or a score settled, but disciplinary action decreed because of evil committed.

God's goodness does lead to repentance, but it is sometimes despised (Romans 2:4).

"Get em, God", is biblical and theologically correct, if you are rightly related to God and pray it from a pure heart.

The lesson of Psalm 28 is not to forgive and drop the charges, but that evil deeds should bear severe consequences.

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1. The term Moralistic Therapeutic Deism was first coined by sociologists Christian Smith and Melina Lundquist Denton in their 2005 book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford University Press). Based on extensive research, they identified the predominant beliefs of American teenagers, even those that claim to be Christians.  h/t Got Questions? What is Moral Therapeutic Deism?