Delighting in Death.

    When i first heard about Bin Laden being dead I was confused. Wondering what to think and feel about it. He was an evil man. But so are a lot of people. I have never seen delight and rejoicing take place over someone's death before and I just wasn't sure what to do with that. I am very passionate about justice but death of one man didn't seem like justice to me like everyone on facebook was declaring.

Two verses kept ringing in my mind, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." Ezekiel 33:11 and "...leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19

I still don't have it all figured out but one thing I know is that this has expanded my view of how great God's love is! He pours out His wrath on evil. "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies." Nahum 1:2 But He doesn't delight in it. He isn't rejoicing over people experiencing His wrath, living in hell for all eternity.

Just as God delights in justice (true justice, not the death of a person created in His image) it is also built into us to feel the same. To hate evil and delight in it being crushed."When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." Prov. 21:15 But as fallen people, we just can't see the big picture sometimes, that our battle is not against flesh and blood.

God doesn't delight in Osama being in hell. Rather He desired for him to repent and live.

Hell is far worse than we dare imagine. When we delight in someone going there... it's because our view of hell is too wimpy... too  comfortable.

God's wrath is real and worse than we dare imagine.
And all of us are under His wrath. Objects of His wrath. Deserving of His wrath, just as Bin Laden. I am not saying you or I are as bad as him. But really how bad do you have to be to not measure up to God's standard?

Just one failure, since His standard is perfection.                                                     

But that is why we have someone's death to celebrate! The death of Jesus. The One who lived the perfect life and wasn't under the Father's wrath but took on His wrath to make a way for us to be forgiven for our guilt.

"Only those who see themselves as sinners in the hands of an angry God can fully appreciate the magnitude and wonder of His love." John MacArthur

Let's repent (turn... a change of mind, leading to a change of action) and live since God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. I think this is a call to many to trust in the perfection of Jesus to be reflected/accredited to your account.

God's love is greater than we dare imagine! He is ready and willing to forgive even the worse of us. He sees it all but is still ready and desiring to forgive!

If you already trust Jesus' perfection to be your only access to the Father, as a form of worship use Bin Laden's death to celebrate in and point others to the death (and resurrection) of Jesus! Now that is justice! People coming to the knowledge of the truth of Jesus on Bin Laden's grave.