What Is The Appropriate Response?

Just like everyone else in America, I've been thinking a lot about the death of Osama bin Laden.  Seldom in history has one man's name encited so much hatred; so it's easy to see why people cheered at his death.  But honestly, I've been thinking about what the appropriate response to his death should be from a Christian perspective.

At the risk of evangelically quoting scriptures out of their original context, I would like to share two passages of scripture from the Book of Proverbs.  "Do not gloat when your enemy falls: when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice..."  Proverbs 24:17  "When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy..."  Proverbs 11:10  So, should I rejoice in his death or not?  Actually, I did...I hope that wasn't a sin....

Now, I know that I am saved from my sin because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.  He died, so that, I can live, and I thank Him everyday for that sacrifice.  So, did Jesus die for Osama bin Laden's sins?  I know this is purely hypothetical because there is no evidence that he ever repented and accepted Jesus into his heart before the Navy SEAL's introduced him to the afterlife, but suppose he did make a deathbed confession?  Of course, he would have been saved but he didn't. 

Since he did not accept Jesus into his heart, I know he is lost and will spend eternity separated from God, which is a far greater punishment than any man could ever inflict upon him.  My heart grieves for people I know who are not saved and die without Jesus and it grieves everyday for people who die without Jesus in their heart.  So, should I not grieve for bin Laden?

At the end of the day, I'm not sure I know what the appropriate response should be to his death.  On one hand I'm sad that a soul was lost without Christ, however, on the other hand, there's a part of me that wants to see the blood soaked pictures and rejoice in seeing his head being half blown off because he was such an evil man.

This may come as a shock to some of you but I'm not perfect and maybe I spend too much time thinking sometimes but, to me, this is where life meets faith.  The easiest thing for me would have been to make jokes about his death, and I really wanted to, but for some reason eternity has been on my mind a lot lately. 

Be Well.

Bill