Proverbs 24:17-18: Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.
There is a sorrow we need to feel at the sinfulness of humanity. That a life needed to be removed is not something in which to rejoice, but a weighty testimony to the depth and ramifications of the fall of mankind into sin. Yes, we can rejoice in defeat over evil, in justice, in protection. But rejoice when a human being is consumed by his sin which leads to death? David mourned the death of Saul (2 Samuel 1), Jesus wept over Jerusalem . . . over the very people who would put Him on the cross (Luke 19:41ff). This makes reflection on my own sin sobering.
Thanks for sharing this. I posted it on FB and have gotten some "likes" already. As soon as I heard the news (about Bin Laden), I did not feel exactly "happy." I cannot rejoice in the death of an evil man, knowing that he will spend eternity in hell and is now beyond all hope of accepting Christ and knowing his Father, who loves him. It's not that I don't think he should have been captured and killed because I do believe in justice and I'm sure God does, too. I am grateful for those who brought him to justice, but I won't be dancing in the streets.
ReplyDelete