78. POETIC JUSTICE?
Like with every other investment, wickedness has returns. Whatever you sow, that is exactly what you are going to reap and sometimes with dividends.
There are many people out there, busy sowing seeds of discord, malice, trouble and mischief, thinking that they are doing the object of their animosity something, not realizing that they are doing their own selves. It may look like they are winning and that they have succeeded but all of their efforts, whether blatant or subtle, whether detected or undetected by the one they have targeted, will, unless they repent, fall right back on their own heads. And for the record, this is not called poetic justice. It is called the righteous judgment of God.
This is why it is so important to live right. This is why it is so important to live peaceably with all men in so far as it is possible to do so, which the Bible instructs in Romans 12:18. This is why it is so important not to harbour envy, jealousy, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, competitiveness, spite and hatred in the heart towards other people. For, if it is not gotten rid of, no matter how hard you try to cloak it, it usually manifests through malice, where you feel motivated to act wickedly against another person, whether through your words or other actions.
The Word of God states:
- “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” (Psalm 7:11-16)
Proverbs 26:27 also states, “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”
This was demonstrated perfectly in the book of Esther in the Bible, where Haman, in hatred and disdain for Mordecai, prepared a gallows to have him hanged on. However, when God intervened, Mordecai was promoted and king Ahaseurus had Haman hanged on the very gallows (Esther 7:10).
Galatians 6:7-9 warns us clearly:
- “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Hosea 8:7 reads, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”.
It is solemn to note, that whatever you put out there, you will get it back, in some form or fashion. Whatever you do, whether good or evil, it comes back to you and sometimes even greater than what you sown. This is not some law of nature or poetic justice as people like to call it. It is a sure principle laid down in the Word of God and as a just and perfectly righteous God, what you reap is what he has caused you to reap, in his sovereignty, according to what he has seen that you have sown.
Psalm 37:14 to 15 declares:
- “The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”
Psalm 57:6 declares:
- “They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves.”
There are some people who consider themselves to be smart and cunning, in that they make their mischief behind the scenes but they do it in a way where it can’t be traced back to them. In this way, they create the trouble they desired and get at the person they desired to get at but come out of it looking innocent, them having been elevated in the minds of others, moreso than the person they have brought down, in people’s estimations.
Yet, there is no secret sowing with God. There is no place on this planet and no person that is outside of his peripheral gaze. Whatever you plant, he sees it, even if others don’t. Even if you think that you have hatched the perfect plan where you can do wickedly, get at that person you don’t like or want to see brought down a peg but still come out smelling like a rose, God has seen what you’ve been up to and knows what is in your heart. You will not escape. Unless you repent and sometimes, even if you do, he is sure to requite it.
It is therefore important to be motivated by love always, which has the power, through grace, to cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Having love is important, given that we live in an imperfect world and people will do things that hurt us or provoke us. However, we are never to retaliate but to forgive them, even if they are not sorry and continue on in their folly. We are to still treat them kindly and leave the issue in God’s hands where vengeance belongs.
In Matthew 5:44-48, Jesus commanded:
- “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
When we retaliate at those who hurt or upset us, we sow bad seeds that God will hold us to account for. The person who did us wrong will not be exempt but we too will be punished. Colossians 3:25 makes it clear, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
Moses learned this the hard way. The people provoked him sore and repeatedly with their complaining and rebellion. Eventually, growing weary of it, he allowed their wrong to make him disobey God and God held him to account for it. God told him to speak to the rock so that water would come forth for the people to drink but he, in anger at the people for not believing God and complaining again that they would die because they had no water, chose to strike it, twice. Water came forth but Moses’ action cost him dearly, as he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, God ending his life when they were on the verge of entering.
In Deuteronomy 32:48-52, God told him:
- “And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.”
It is clear therefore that, no matter what people do to us, God holds us accountable for our actions and takes what we do, personally. Also, even when we are angry and rightfully so, God expects us to exercise self-control and to not allow our anger to make us sin. Anger is no justification for sinning or being disobedient to God. God’s Word says, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).
In life therefore, if we want to reap a good harvest, we need to ensure that we do good, that we live right and sow good seeds, that God will be pleased with. Any other equation is sure to yield adverse returns through God’s chastening or punishing hand, like the deprivation of blessings, sorrow, sterility, barrenness, stagnancy and curses.
In Jeremiah 5:23-25, God told his people, through his prophet, who had sown endless seeds of wickedness and unrighteous living and were reaping for it:
- “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
- Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit…Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
(Written on 24th August, 2024)
ADDENDUM
A few days ago, due to an incident I experienced, I wrote the following, which is inkeeping with all that I wrote previously above:

(Addendum written on 4th September, 2024)
Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be interesting, informative, beneficial or edifying, you may also be interested in reading the following:
Under the ‘BIBLE-BELIEVING Daughters’ page:
- Note 35 – ‘Because That For This Thing, The Lord Thy God Shall Bless Thee…’
- Note 51 – ‘I Know The Plans I Have For You…’
- Note 52 – ‘The Sins Of The Tongue’
- Note 53 – The Sins Of The Tongue – Reloaded’
- Note 54 – ‘Taming The Tongue – What The Bible Says About Gossip’
- Note 55 – ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds?’
- Note 61 – ‘Are You Putting Yourself In The Line Of Fire?’
- Note 97 – ‘Seven (7) Mindsets That Will Keep You Stuck In The Land Of Sterility’
- Note 107 – ‘I’ve Got No Time To Mind Anybody’s Business’
- Note 148 – ‘Just One Thing May Be Holding You Back’
- Note 149 – Suffering? Bad Attitudes That Will Only Make It Worse’
Under the ‘SINGLE Daughters’ page:
- Note 267 – ‘How Beautifully God Rewards A Cheerful Giver’