God's payback promises - "Vengeance is mine" and "the hairs on your head are all numbered"

What things do the following verses have in common?

Matt 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Heb 10:30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." ..

If you noticed they were both declarations or strong promises, you are correct; and you may have noticed these both have a chapter and verse reference of 10:30 which virtually everyone dismisses as inconsequential, but the Bible's fifteen 10:30 verses have a story to say if you know what to look for.

On my website and this blog I give example after example of how the Bible's numbering demonstrates itself to be not only inspired, but also help us to interpret scripture. As I get older and hopefully a bit wiser, I spend less time trying to convince people of the miracle of the Bible's numbers and more time simply showing them - so this post provides an example of God's pattern in scripture and lets you ponder the evidence for yourself

THE EXAMPLE: Like reference Bible verses have a theme running through them that helps in their interpretation and the message in this set has literally changed the way I see life. Praise Jesus!

How can that be? How can the Bible change one so suddenly? It happens when you know the Bible to be the exact word of God and then discover new truths in the text. The experience created in you due to the new truth is as compelling as touching a hot stove and concluding it burns! - the experience of truth changes us.

My experience came when I one day realized how the theme in these verses tells us of the completeness of God's vengeance, That day I let go of a huge part of my need to get back at others for their wrongs. You have to ponder the Bible's 10:30 verses to really take this in, but if you take the time you will find that one after another this set of verses tell how God's payback is not a general payback at all - God says he counts everything down to the hairs on our head. Nothing is missed. Related to the same set of verses, God demands,"Vengeance is mine!" - to me, this is an extreme command, not simply a suggestion. He means it! God, both pays back evil for evil and good for good. - precisely. When I comprehended this, I concluded that if God really does keep track of everything, I'm not trusting God if I hold grudges or try and make people pay for their mistakes in any way. It's as if God is recording every little event in his computer and tallying them up until debts become due on the last day.

There are just fifteen 10:30 verses in the Bible and I've included the most compelling 6 of them here. You can see how each of them tell of God's preciseness in his promises and statements. You will find that every 10:30 verse contains precise and unmistakable statements and I believe this was done intentionally so we would take in the point - God counts everything. The other nine examples not shown here show the same pattern (except for one I can't yet figure out). Like everything we study in the Bible, only God knows how it all fits together - we will never interpret it exactly, but we can see and interpret patterns. Even if you don't see God's counting in each of these examples, let the examples you do see help you conclude for yourself. That is, don't throw the concept out because you can't line up every example...we virtually never completely understand God's word and God's numbering is no different.

The Bible's 10:30 Vengeance and payback verses...

Matt 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (don't fear, not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from God..)



Act 10:30 ..."Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house..on the 9th hour, (PRECISELY: 4 days, 9th hour)


Mrk 10:30 ...he will receive a hundred times as much (PAYBACK—100 times as much)


Josh 10:30 The LORD...struck..every person..with the edge of the sword... he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho. (PAYBACK—equal for equal)


2Kin 10:30 The LORD said..."Because you have done well in executing what is right...your sons...shall sit on the throne of Israel." (PAYBACK—Because you did this, I will ….)


Heb 10:30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." .. (God is counting). 

You will find the 9 other examples in these books: Genesis, Numbers, Ezra, Nehemiah, Proverbs, Isaiah, Luke, John, 1Corinthians and Hebrews. The Bible's 10:30 verses have an amazing message and are also one of the best examples I've seen to show the pattern across like referenced verses. Want another compelling example; see the Bible's 3:16 verses and notice the amazing theme running through them...for God so loved the world...

In those times when you are puzzled about the meaning of a verse of scripture, it's worth looking at other like referenced verses to get ideas about what it may mean.

www.amazingword.com

How can the average person know where to find God?

I struggled for years as a Christian sitting in a pew, often wondering how others were so sure of their faith. I heard many of the “proofs” people give about Jesus and the authenticity of the bible, but each one seemed to have gaps I personally could not explain so they each fell short of being proofs for me. I still held my faith but at the same time wondered how we Christians expect others to see god with evidence that is beyond the capability of the average person to verify? In these times, every religion has their own compelling “truths” and men are left not knowing what’s real and what’s not. How do we know who to believe?

I now have found the proofs I sought for years and ones that were in reach of anyone that wanted to examine the bible in a sincere way to seek out God. If God wanted to absolutely prove himself he could simply appear in the sky and blast us with his truths, but I suppose he did not want to fear us into believing in him. What kind of followers would that make? God says those who seek him will find him.

I say this because the proofs are in the bible but they are not in any single verse. Proofs I think a discerning mind like ours can accept, but God has placed them there in such a way that only a truly seeking person will find and comprehend. I don’t have room for much explanation here but can pass along a couple of clues that might make you wonder about the possibility of such strong evidence about God really existing. These two facts are only coincidences without more to go along with them, but strong coincidences can eventually change random facts into a preponderance of evidence which establish truths.

So here are just two small verifiable facts that help demonstrate the bible is truly the Word of God. Hopefully these encourage you to look into his word more to find out who he is –

#1 - There are 1189 chapters in the King James Bible and the 595th and exact middle chapter of the bible is Psalms 117. It is both the shortest chapter in the bible and the only one with just two verses. The two verses in this tiny chapter exclaim praise for God’s lovingkindness and everlasting nature. Might be a coincidence but if you think about it for a few moments, it is quite an incredible chance that this unique chapter could also be in a very unique place in God's Holy book. One chance in 1189 this coincidently finds its way to this place in the bible.

#2 – One thousand is a milestone number that is also a unique chapter number in a book with just over 1000 chapters. In this special chapter of the bible God has left us another amazing coincidence and a special clue about who he is. Even more amazing, this clue is in the form of a single bible verse God has been popping up around the world for years and is often seen by millions in televised sports events. Is it a coincidence that John 3:16 just happens to be in this milestone and special chapter of the bible? John 3, the Born Again chapter, explains the single key concept how we must be born again to see the kingdom of God.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

These are just two “coincidences” everyone can see and confirm are in the King James Bible – the same bible millions of people have in their home today. Admittedly, these alone don’t prove anything about God, but maybe they are a way of getting your attention. Imagine there are thousands of other such verifiable facts in the bible to be found if you look for them. God will show up if you seek him but don't expect him to jump off the page at you – that’s not how he works.

If you want to know about God, ask him and sincerely seek him out and I think he will be paying you a visit.

Why – I almost hate to add the next part of what is needed to be said because it can appear to take away from the loving image of God. We are not just encouraged to seek God, we must if we want to avoid spending eternity without him. There are serious consequences to not accepting Jesus Christ as your LORD and savior. Every soul is eternal whether we like it or not. We will spend eternity somewhere and there is only one way to spend it with God. As much as we might like to dismiss God or trust that we are good enough to be deserving of a good life when we leave this one, God tells us clearly this is a huge mistake.

The creator of the universe makes the rules and we cannot understand his ways, even if he tried to explain them to us. Don’t try to out-reason God. Investigate him to see if you believe he is the creator of the universe and if you do, don’t doubt that what he tells us plainly in his word will come to pass. It does not matter how we think things ought to work. The eternal future you have depends on it. It’s OK to doubt God, but give him a chance to prove who he is.

Norm Patriquin

March 2008