Proverbs 20:22–23 (ESV)
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.
When we are wronged, our first instinct is often to make things right ourselves. Solomon warns against that response. “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil.'” Whether the offense is large or small, God forbids us from taking revenge into our own hands. We are not to answer another person’s sin with more sin. Instead of plotting retaliation, we are called to entrust ourselves to the Lord.
Rather than seeking revenge, Solomon tells us to “wait for the Lord.” This waiting is not passive resignation but confident expectation. The Hebrew word carries the idea of looking forward with hope and relying upon God to act. The Lord sees every injustice, knows every motive, and promises to deliver his people. His justice is never hurried, but it is never absent. As Paul later writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19).
The second proverb reminds us that God’s concern for justice extends even to the marketplace. Merchants who used dishonest weights and false scales cheated others for personal gain. God calls such practices an abomination because they violate his righteous character. He delights in truth and hates every form of deception, whether it occurs in business, at work, or in our everyday dealings with others.
These two proverbs belong together. The person who has been cheated or mistreated may be tempted to even the score through dishonesty of her own. Solomon forbids both responses. God opposes deceit no matter who commits it. We do not defend righteousness by acting unrighteously. Instead, we trust the Judge of all the earth to do what is right.
When you have been wronged, remember that God sees far more than you do. He knows every word that was spoken, every motive that was hidden, and every injustice that has been done. Because his justice is perfect, you are free to leave revenge in his hands. Wait for the Lord, continue doing what is right, and trust that he will make all things as they should be in his perfect time.