As I was watching TV on Sunday evening, some breaking news flashed across the screen. The reporter said that there was a "big announcement" that was fixing to come from the White House. Fox News actually broke the story before the White House had a chance to do so: "Osama Bin Laden is dead." Once the news broke, the reporter was filled with joy. He happened to be interviewing a retired general, and at one point they gave one another a high five.
I'll have to admit that when I first heard the news, my heart was excited as well. For me it was a great relief to know that justice had finally been served. But as I continued to watch the coverage that evening and early the next morning, I saw people dancing and yelling in the streets of Washington, New York, and several other places. It caused me to stop and wonder, "Is all this celebration really a Christian response to the death of a wicked man?"
I've wrestled with that question for the last 24-48 hours, but I think the Holy Spirit has reminded me of some things I'd like to share with you. First, I think it is completely appropriate for us to rejoice over the fact that justice has finally been served. Romans 12:19 reminds us that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and the following verses of chapter 13 make it very clear that God has chosen our governing officials as a means of executing that vengeance: "For he (the government) is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minster, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil" (v. 4). God has finally brought Osama Bin Laden to justice and for that we say, "Amen!"
And yet, I wonder what God thinks about all this celebration and high-fiving going on. Should we rejoice over the death of a wicked man? I think we can agree that our response to Bin Laden's death should be like our Lord's. So what is our Lord's response to his death? "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11). If God took no pleasure in the death of Osama Bin Laden, neither should we. Rather than killing the world's most notorious terrorist, it would've been the pleasure of our Lord to have saved him through the shed blood of His Son Jesus. And yet, it seems that Bin Laden was not willing to come, much like the Jews during the ministry of our Savior (Matt. 23:37).
In all our joy and celebration, have we stopped to consider that Osama Bin Laden split the gates of hell wide open, if in fact he died lost apart from Christ? Is that really a happy thought for us? If it is, something is desperately wrong. Rather than rejoicing over the death of a wicked man, our hearts should break that he now has no further opportunity to be reconciled to God. It should also remind us of the missionary mandate to reach the world for Christ while there is still time.
The Holy Spirit laid one final thought on my heart. We tend to put guys like Osama Bin Laden in the same category with people like Hitler and Stalin. Whether most people would say it or not, they often tend to think that hell is really reserved for those kind of people. We tend to think that they were "worse sinners" than us. But consider what Jesus said: "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). The death of Osama Bin Laden should cause us to examine our own hearts to see if we are really children of God.
So let us rejoice that justice has been served, but let's take a look in the mirror as well. Are we burdened over the spiritual condition of the lost? And could it be that we ourselves are one of those lost apart from the saving grace of Jesus? Let us all thank God that we still have a chance to receive Him and that we can compel others to do the same. Let's save our rejoicing and high-fiving for the salvation of a lost person. As Jesus said, "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7).
Todd, I was happy to read this post today as I'm preparing to give tonight's devotion entitled, "How Should a Christian React to the Death of Osama bin Laden?" I agree w/ your argument and how such a big event forces us to see where we stand w/ the Lord. People may argue that he got what he deserved, but the truth is we all deserve death (and eternal death), but thanks be to God that "He has not dealt w/ us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10).
ReplyDeleteBut I do believe we can celebrate. The key is the focus of our celebration. We should never celebrate the death of a lost person, but we can celebrate that God, His Word, and His righteousness are victorious. Evil loses! Righteousness wins! I rejoice that God is God and He is forever victorious.
Tim, I think we're definitely on the same page. We celebrate the fact that God's judgment has been manifested through His appointed minister - in this case, our governing officials.
ReplyDeleteWhile we celebrate justice, we mourn the death of a wicked man who now burns in hell, unless of course he repented prior to his death. I hope the demise of Bin Laden will motivate us all to bear greater witness for Christ.