2 verses to consider in light of Bin Laden's death

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Michael

Puritan Board Senior
I have been contemplating these today. Your insight is appreciated.

Proverbs 21:15
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.

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.
 
Heard those verses on NPR today. I would not rejoice at my enemy falling, but I might rejoice at justice being carried out.
 
I posted a link to Tom Ascol's blog where I believe he did a good job responding in a biblical fashion. Since then I have come across another one by Kevin DeYoung. I am certainly thankful for men like them who certainly have looked at this event in light of Scripture and not just given mere opinions,but well thought out points. For we as Christians must consider every aspect of life and how we respond. For something a number of Christians are not thinking in some sense is there non-Christian friends are watching in how their Christian friends are responding and if it is contradictory to what they profess can you imagine the impact that has on their(the Christian) witness. I know by no means are we going to be perfect this side of heaven,but I do believe we need to be conscience of our actions and the ramifications they could and will have. Here is a link to the other blog article -> Osama bin Laden and the Value of Justice – Kevin DeYoung

Just a few thoughts as I've seen and heard via post,not to mention reports how there are Evangelicals rejoicing. I find it sad especially when in DeYoung article he notes and I will quote," I thought President Obama’s remarks last night struck the right tone. There was a sense of gratitude without gloating. The dominant theme was justice. " While we may disagree and I'd say for the most part with our president those here in the US. We have to admit the way the address was handled was appropriate in that as DeYoung pointed out the dominant theme was justice and a sense of gratitude without gloating. For this we should rejoice that it was handled properly and justice was served. Just a few thoughts as I've had time to read upon this event/issue.
 
It's beyond me that anyone could gloat. It took 3,000,000,000,000 dollars and 10 years to find and kill a sick, skinny dude. It's time for national embarrassment.
 
And there is a huge difference between gloating and rejoicing. I'm thankful that there are more prudent people blogging wise words. It seems the Reformed and Mainline communities are in accord with this and evangelicals are showing their true colors.
 
Would the balance here be one of sober satisfaction? One has to establish what "rejoicing" means, because one can be filled with joy that justice has been done and yet not act in a celebratory matter as if a baseball team just hit a homerun (see Pastor Ivan's gloating vs. rejoicing above). It doesn't seem to be contradictory to be a) thankful that OBL was neutralized, b) aware that I am no better than OBL apart from Christ, and c) sad that OBL did not repent, as far as we know.
Besides, there is a difference between justice here on earth and the final judgment; I may be glad, in a sense, that a truly converted Christian was rightly executed for past murders, but even more glad that he will forever be with the Lord because of Christ's righteouesness. With a pagan, I may be glad that he died and his wickedness ended, but my gladness for eternal justice is tempered with a sadness that he chose such a wicked way. The two emotions aren't contradictory, just coming from different perspectives.
One question I have is for those who are quite lavish in their celebrations of OBL's death: if a wicked, unconverted relative of yours dies, would you allow people to celebrate this death? Thinking from my own perspective, I think it would be right for the people of God to be thankful that justice has been done if my brother were executed for breaking the law, but celebrating the execution might bother me.
 
It's beyond me that anyone could gloat. It took 3,000,000,000,000 dollars and 10 years to find and kill a sick, skinny dude. It's time for national embarrassment.

That wasn't spent on finding him, it was spent on combat operations. If I was in charge I would give a pointed address to the jihadists - If you attack us we will find you and kill you. Even if it takes 10 years."

For my part I am happy that he wasn't taken out in an airstrike... He was a man of violence who sought to instill terror, and I find it incredibly appropriat that he spent his final 40 minutes in terror and that the last thing he saw were men who came to bring him to a violent end.
 
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