A lust for vengeance

A story published March 8, 2011 says that the father of a 5-year-old boy allegedly eaten in 1975 says he will murder his son’s killer if he’s released from jail. “I do intend, if this man is released anywhere in my vicinity, or if I can find him after the fact, I do intend to kill this man,” John Foreman told WPRO-AM radio.

Michael Woodmansee, 16-years-old at the time, kidnapped and killed Jason Foreman in 1975 in Rhode Island. Foreman was presumed to be missing until 1982 when Woodmansee tried to lure another boy into his home. The boy escaped and police began to question Woodmansee about Foreman’s disappearance. They found Jason Foreman’s skull and bones on Woodmansee's dresser along with a journal which detailed the gruesome killing.

A parent can understand the desire for vengeance. However, the Bible says that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Furthermore, vengeance is not for us. God will recompense every evildoer (Luke 18:7-8; Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 6:10). It would feel like your heart was being ripped out to see a situation like Mr. Foreman’s, but all we can do is trust in a wise, all-knowing God, and know that Jesus is our greatest example: “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).

Kyle Campbell