The Death of the Wicked

The Death of the Wicked

“Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11 ESV


This morning as I was working out on the elliptical, I saw the news. Osama Bin Laden was dead. Killed by US Navy Seals. The man who has spawn a ring of terror that has seemed to define our military strategies and media hype for the last ten years is no more. I saw the news pan to US citizens cheering in the streets, at baseball games, in businesses. All around it seemed as though people were celebrating the death of this wicked man. And then I got sad. I didn’t understand why at first, but then I realized that God is not cheering. So why should I?
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t know anybody who could convince me that Osama Bin Laden was a man that we should esteem for his goodness or his mercy or the kindness he showed to foreigners. He was responsible for the death of so many all over the world and the media did a great job of convincing us that we should fear this man and that the best place for him should be in the ground. He is who we blame for the horrific attacks in New York City ten years ago. We will never forget 9/11/. And neither will the survivors of the tragedy or the families of the deceased. It was a horrible day in the history of the US. And we went after Osama Bin Laden with all of our military might and he seemed to evade us for ten years. But finally, the US Military can claim a victory in confirming that he is dead. President Obama has probably done wonders for his political career with this one and may have even sealed his second term. The US military can boast for a while in this victory and maybe some others all around the world will sleep soundly, knowing that Osama Bin Laden is now being judged by God, or whatever they believe happens when you die. But I still say that God is not cheering.
The bible has been used to justify a lot of horrible acts in history. There are wars fought over people using passages in the Old Testament to justify their battles. Slavery of African-Americans as well as other ethnicities has been justified with bible passages. Spousal abuse has been justified using scripture. And I’m sure that there is someone out there who can justify the death of Osama Bin Laden by using scripture. But I’ve always been partial to some of what the prophets said in the Old Testament. They are the ones who seem to reveal God’s heart to the people. And the prophet Ezekiel says that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He desires that all should turn from their wicked ways and seek the one true and living God. Yet right now, America is taking pleasure in the death of this wicked man. We are celebrating his demise. This man may no longer have an opportunity to right any wrongs he has done or apologize for his actions. He is done. Whatever has been will be. His death does not bring back any of the people killed in the 9/11 attacks. One of the fathers of a man killed in the 9/11 attacks said, “The first thought I had in my mind was that it didn't bring my son back. You cut the head off a snake, you'd think it would kill the snake. But someone will take his place. People like him still exist. The fact that he's gone is not going to stop terrorism."
Osama Bin Laden has probably done a better job at making disciples than most Christians. His death doesn’t erase terrorism from the world. We have a long way to go to stop all of those who have such evil in their hearts that they will take their message around the globe through violence. Including us. Osama Bin Laden is dead, but terrorism is not. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the world is still not a perfect place and the death of one man will not solve the problem. And when I see the way that Americans carry on in cheers and applause to celebrate the death of another human being, it makes me sad. We are all a part of the problem. Who prayed for him? Who wept for him? I know that sounds like crap, but why is our first response to cheer because someone is dead? What kind of evil do we have in our own hearts?
I’m not saying that I wish Osama Bin Laden was still alive to carry on his terroristic reign. But we may not have ended anything, but we may very well have just started something worse. An eye for an eye only makes everybody blind. He kills many, we kill him. His people get upset, they kill more. We go after them, we start war. (I didn’t rhyme on purpose, that just happened but I liked it). It’s not over. And the more we celebrate, the clearer the problem becomes. The heart of man is evil. The only solution I know of to cure an evil heart is the love of Jesus Christ. He’s the only one that I know of who can penetrate the heart of the hardest criminal and make it new. Did anybody pray for Osama Bin Laden? I didn’t. Maybe I should have. I guess I need to pray for the heart of the next terrorist that pops up. And maybe I should also pray for our leaders and the American people and all of our hearts while I’m at it. Because part of me was happy he was dead too. Forgive me Lord.