So I'm sure everyone has heard of the death of Osama bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, mastermind of the 9/11 plot. He is a man who is unabashed and unashamed and open about his hatred of Westerners, Americans, Christians, Jews and nominal Muslims. He is an emblem of hatred of the same caliber as Hitler and Stalin, and sought nothing but the destruction of his enemies to glorify Allah.
Well... not anymore. He is now dead. Now Christians are forced to decide whether to celebrate or remain ambivalent about his demise. "God does not delight in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 13) and "Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword" Matthew 26:52 are constantly jostling for position on the flood of Christian tweets about Osama's death.
I would argue that neither response exclusively is correct. Moderation, in this sense is the more appropriate response, especially in light of the person who died, the justice that was done, the safety that will come about it, and a chance for dignified conversation on the role of justice in the world to non-believers.
Total happiness in his death would be incorrect, because it would be to deny the Lord the glory due to him for being sovereign over the entire life of Osama bin Laden, and the acts the Lord permitted through Osama bin Laden for reasons we cannot perceive in this age.
But we are surely not to rejoice in the death of the wicked, for God doesn't do that. To do so would be to pretend that we ourselves are not also worthy of judgment and justice - that we stand apart from Osama because he is "more evil" or "more deserving" of wrath. Apart from Jesus, we all deserve wrath, so to see him die apart from the grace of Jesus is indeed tragic for him.
However, there are other things to consider in this situation. We should be thankful that God exhibits his justice and that he is a just God. It says on several occasions in the Psalms that righteousness and justice are the foundations of God's throne. This should also cause us to fear and tremble before a God so full of unstoppable justice and righteousness that we cannot possibly be good enough for his law or standards.
This is where we find a fountainhead of joy! For, on God's throne of Justice sits a God of Mercy.
Let me set up an interesting Biblical example. The Ark of the Covenant was commissioned by God to be built as a seat of his glory where the sacrifices of the people would be atoned for on Yom Kippur. Inside the Ark rested the staff of Aaron - the first high priest, the Ten Commandments - the law, and a bowl of manna. Resting on the Ark was the Mercy Seat, on whose corners the blood of the Lamb would be spilled to atone for the sins of Israel. I hope this is beginning to sound familiar.
God's Justice is satiated by the blood of a spotless lamb and received by Mercy so we may be in good standing with our Father. In Jesus, the justice and wrath of God, which was saved for us, is fulfilled and satiated so that we can come into the presence of the Lord and so that his Mercy and Justice would be fulfilled and poured out with grace to the nations.
So the death of Osama shouldn't be an occasion for celebration, but of introspection. The death of the wicked and the punishment of the unrighteous should remind us of the grace we have in the Lord, and point us toward his loving sacrifice to bring us peaceably to him.
It is neither celebration of Osama's death, nor mourning for his destruction.
I quote Dante, who in Hell, mourns over the torment of the damned. Here, Virgil reprimands him for weeping over the final judgments of God:
"...Who is more pathetic than the person
Who agonizes over God’s just judgments?"
 |
| The poets emerge from Hell |
(Inferno, XX, ln. 29,30)
Instead of celebrating, reflect on your own sins and the mercy shown to you in Jesus.
Instead of repeating Scriptures condemning those who celebrate, reflect on the nature of God's Justice and the mercy he shows you.
In essence, just look to Jesus, and use this as an opportunity to tell people about the God who forgave a sinner like you.
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