The big news of the past week has been the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Many different stories of what exactly happened have surfaced.
Now, I am not here to debate whether he is dead or not; or how he may or may not have died; nor even the ramifications of his death which may be considerable. Rather, I want to address the reactions of many of those in the US and around the world to his demise.
I was struck, and even a little taken back by the unadulterated joy and happiness of many that bin Laden was murdered. Of course, I understand the evil that the organization he formed, al-Qaeda, wrought on the world, not only with 9/11 but many other heinous terrorist acts that have caused untold suffering and anguish.
For those affected by Osama bin Laden, here is the hard thing God asks of us in Proverbs 24:17-18, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him….”
Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19) in His time, in His way and for His purpose. It is not up to us to take matters into our own hands, but rather we are to work and pray that we live according to His Will.
What God wants and accordingly what we should also want is for “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God would rather that everyone would repent and turn away from their evil ways and turn towards Him. Is this what we want for EVERYONE as well?
