Why We Can Rejoice (but not gloat)...Osama Bin Laden

http://billrandles.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/why-its-ok-to-rejoice-but-not-gloat/ ^ | 05-02-11 | Bill Randes

[pastorbillrandles]

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.(Proverbs 24:17)

When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.(Proverbs 11:10)

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.(Psalm 58:10-11)

Instant elation has erupted worldwide upon the news of the violent death of arch terrorist Osama Bin Ladin, delivered by US Navy Seals. In the streets and on the Internet,Twitter and everywhere decent people congregate, a festive atmosphere has broken out, among strangers over the news.

Is there something untoward at this open joy at the destruction of the world’s most wanted terrorists? After all the Word of God warns in more than one place, not to boast in the fall of an enemy. Should we be so elated?

I think we should , unapologetically. I am not saying that we should gloat in a proud way, but as a christian pastor and firm believer in the Word of God, I celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden, and what it represents to the world. Here is why…

* It is not personal - The exhortation to not rejoice over the fall of your enemy , is to be understood in the context of interpersonal relationships .

We will have friends as well as accumulate enemies in this world. The christian must live above petty strife, gloating, and “Schadenfreude”, which is the envious joy over the misfortune of another.

But Bin Laden is in a category other than a personal enemy. Not only is he evil himself, Bin Laden represents a form of evil which is bedevilling the world at this time in history, Islamic terrorism.

We should be against evil, we should utterly hate all forms of evil, and particularly evil done in the name of a false god.

* Rejoice that the cause of evil has been set back-Part of our current problem is that our culture has embraced a moral relativism which has stripped us of our confidence in our own civilisation. Whole populations in the west do not know good from evil with confidence as a result of this.Political correctness is a disastrous heresy.

Ten years after 9-11, in which Islamic murderers sucker punched us as a nation, slaughtering 3000 innocent ones in the name of Allah, there is yet an official denial that Islam is the problem. There have been 16,000 international incidents of mass murder and terror since 9-11, all committed by Muslims, and our leaders remain in denial.

Islamic terror is evil. Osama was a proponant of that evil. His very survival was an open taunting of all that is good, orderly and civilized, particularly christianity. He seemed to “get away with it”, thus encouraging others around the world to join him in the mayhem.Remember what he once said about people “backing the stronger horse”?

Now God has reminded Isam that they aren’t really “the strong horse”. Those who couldn’t contain their glee after 9-11, who headed out into the streets to celebrate the humiliation of “the great Satan”, are in mourning now. I am glad to know that God remembered. God always remembers.

* This demoralizes the other evil ones - Should we not be elated and jubilant that evil has had this setback? In a world where bad guys seem to flout life and law with no fear, is it not a good thing that the principle symbol of this lawlessness be publicly put down?

I hate evil, therefore I am glad Osama Bin Laden has been sent to God’s Holy Judgment.

I know well, that this is not the end of the war on terror, nor is this a death-blow to the cancer that is Al Queda.Wars are determined until the end.

But there are others, Al Zwahahiri, Al Alawiki, the hideous Nasrallah, and the loathsome Mullahs of Iran,who up to this time have terrorized millions, enjoying success after success without too much setback. Perhaps now they are unable to sleep securely at night, unsure whether or not the next Seal team has their address. It’s about time!

* But Here is why we can’t gloat – I do believe that this projection of military power is impressive, and I have all of the respect in the world for our brave military, the very cream of the crop of America..

Having said all of that, it is only the mercy of God that allowed us to bag Bin Laden. Unless the Lord watches the city the watchmen keep watch in vain… blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord… .

We are a sinful nation, it is no wonder there was a 9-11, the wonder is that there isn’t one every single day! How did we think we could survive, flouting God’s law against abortion, fornication, homosexuality and the host of other evils we have baptised the whole world into ? We deserve to be judged by God, not blessed.

And yet in mercy God gives us a taste of the martial valor of the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, by blessing this operation. It is mercy from heaven that we were able to deliver the fatal blow to this Islamic murderer.

Remember that this very president, so eager to take personal credit for this successful operation, is homo sexualising this same military, setting the table to fatally undermine our watchman for his own political advantage. We are yet in grave danger.

Of course I rejoice, but can’t gloat. I hate evil, but am under no illusion as to who we have become as a nation. This should be a call to prayer, and grateful repentance. I close with another call to rejoice in the fall of evil;

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.(Psalm 9:1-9)

[Bitsy]

Carter was up all night writing condolence cards to the Bin Ladin family /s.

[Cronos]

very, very well said — we can rejoice that the mind/symbol of this terror organization is dead, but not gloat. We can also pray for him, as good Christians who pray for our enemies, though I think he’s already frying...

[MsLady]

When I heard he was died I thought about hell and what he's going through now, I actually felt for him because this is eternal he will never escape the tortures of hell. If you never read or heard Bill Wies speak you should look him up. The book and CD are called 23 minutes in hell. Link to 23 minutes in hellFrankly you wouldn't want your worst enemy there. But, at the same time I'm glad Usama is died. He was unrepentant and had over 3000 people murdered. While he murdered people, we didn't, we killed him. There is a difference between the two.

I pondered this for awhile because it bothered me. How as a Christian nation can we ever go to war? How do we defend ourselves or do we? Do we just let people run roughshod all over us or what? I kept going back to the 6th commandment, thou shall not kill. I kept asking God, how do we justify a military? And can I ever justify protecting myself or my family? And how as military men/women do they justify killing? It wasn't long after I started really praying about this, that God lead me to the information I needed. This was last year. I honestly can't remember how I found it, but, at the time I wasn't looking. I've been saved since the 70's and in all those years didn't know this. The sixth commandment in the Hebrew text is, thou shall not murder. Not, thou shall not kill.

[Cronos]

The thing is also that he killed more than 3000 — that is only the number from the US 9/11 attacks. We forget about the attacks on Christians and Hindus in Pakistan and India, attacks on Christians in Iraq and Egypt, attacks in the Phillipines, Russia, Sweden etc. etc.

[MsLady]

Yes, many innocent people. It might not stop what Usama was doing, but, my guess is his people will have had the stuffing knocked out of them and maybe think twice before they try to kill more innocent people.

[Cronos]

I don't think it will make them more fearful, at least not the ones actually DOING the deeds, but it will scare the planners (who were always able to send young men to their deaths while they lived in comfort)

however, this is a serious psychological blow.

[Cronos]

How as a Christian nation can we ever go to war? How do we defend ourselves or do we?

and there is a valuable example from history, from the time of the Maccabees. The Greek kings defiled the temple and wanted to exterminate Judaism.

This is a story from 1 Macc 2

So he, and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that they had in the city. [29] Then many that sought after judgment, and justice, went down into the desert: [30] And they abode there, they and their children, and their wives, and their cattle: because afflictions increased upon them.

[31] And it was told to the king's men, and to the army that was in Jerusalem in the city of David, that certain men who had broken the king's commandment, were gone away into the secret places in the wilderness, and that many were gone after them. [32] And forthwith they went out towards them, and made war against them on the sabbath day, [33] And they said to them: Do you still resist? come forth, and do according to the edict of king Antiochus, and you shall live. [34] And they said: We will not come forth, neither will we obey the king's edict, to profane the sabbath day. [35] And they made haste to give them battle.

[36] But they answered them not, neither did they cast a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places, [37] Saying: Let us all die in our innocency: and heaven and earth shall be witnesses for us, that you put us to death wrongfully. [38] So they gave them battle on the sabbath: and they were slain with their wives, and their children, and their cattle, to the number of a thousand persons. [39] And Mathathias and his friends heard of it, and they mourned for them exceedingly. [40] And every man said to his neighbour: If we shall all do as our brethren have done, and not fight against the heathens for our lives, and our justifications: they will now quickly root us out of the earth.

[41] And they determined in that day, saying: Whosoever shall come up against us to fight on the sabbath day, we will fight against him: and we will not all die, as our brethren that were slain in the secret places

So, we are still to defend ourselves. Turning the other cheek is overquoted and misunderstood. Remember that if you are submissive you do not turn the other cheek, you fall with the slap. If you turn the other cheek is it a non-violent response, but a response nonetheless.

you are correct that it is thou shalt not murder, because otherwise the OT wars would not be justified -- even the killing of animals would be taboo.

[MsLady]

Most definitely a psychological blow. The planners are weasels. They will throw their young out to die, but, stay comfortably away from the very thing they claim they believe in. If it’s so great to martyr yourself, you’d think the planners would be the first ones to do it.