“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ” (Luke 10:17–20, ESV)
We humans have a natural tendency to rejoice in response to victory. I know I do. When my favorite team wins, I shout. When I beat my kids at Uno, I have a little war dance I do replete with whoops, raised hands, and a mocking little song. If my candidate gets elected, I feel all warm and on the inside, as though my social and political views have been finally proven correct and I have been publically vindicated before all the world.
Last night the announcement was made that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I have to admit, I was happy. I didn’t do a happy dance, but that may have just been because no one was there to watch me. He is responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 of our citizens on US soil and countless more besides. The earth is a better place without such people on it. Justice has been served.
After the brief surge of exileration in victory passed, another thought occured to me. Jesus lives inside me. I was suddenly aware that he didn’t seem to be joining me in my internal happy dance. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT saying that I think Jesus wanted us to ignore Bin Laden. I’m not a pacifist and I don’t think Jesus wants me to be one. C.S. Lewis’ essay Why I AM Not a Pacifist is a great read for more on that.
I watched the events of last night unfold on Twitter. Given this medium, what I was exposed to was every one’s gut reaction. Most reactions were not unlike my own. Very quickly posts turn from being informative to editorial. There were simple statements about justice along the lines of “Bin Laden finally got what he had coming”. There were words of appreciation for our military and their sacrifice. There was lots of effort made to make sure President Bush (W.) got his share of the credit along side much energy directed to make sure President Obama didn’t get too much. I saw lots of Crusades style religious talk along the lines of our Christian nation triumphing over those heathen.
I thought some of what I saw was great. Some things I disagreed with. Some things I thought were unhelpful. Other things I thought were downright destructive. The thing I disliked the most was what I saw in myself. I suddenly wanted to wade in and fight. I wanted to argue. I wanted to shout my affirmation of those I agreed with and support their views by showing off my own cleverness. I wanted to give everyone else a bit dose of “Oh yeah, well I…”
The Knowledge of Good and Evil is still enticing, even to this day, isn’t it?
I think we should all breathe a big sigh of relief that the hunt for Bin Laden is over. I think we should all soberly reflect on those who lost their lives or loved ones on that aweful day in September. I do think it’s appropriate to appreciate the sacrifice of the men and women who serve our country at great personal cost and risk.
I also think we should remain sober about this victory. It is a symbolic victory. Our country’s enemies have many heads. Chopping one off is not unimportant, but it is also not anything close to a final victory. The faithful men and women in our military will continue to risk their lives today. And tomorrow. And after that. For Bin Laden, this was not merely symbolic; for him, it was justice. But for our overall objective, very little has changed and things might get worse before they get better. I think the potential for backlash is very high.
I think we should stand in awe of a God who will one day set all things right, who will one day bring ultimate justice in a manner that exalts his own righteousness and glory. I’m quite certain that when Bin Laden stood before God, if he did so on his own merit, he was rewarded with something quite different than 70 virgins and an eternal paradise.
But I am sober when I reflect that were I to stand before this same God on my own merits I would also receive justice from his hand.
We all have a tendency to rejoice when demons bow before us. There are still better things to rejoice about, and I think we would do well to quickly move toward those things.
27 Comments
Thank you so much for writing this. I literally went to bed so saddened and a bit confused. I was happy for justice and that no more lives would be lost at the hands of this man but I was so upset by the reactions of most Christians ready to drag his body through the street and celebrate him “burning in hell.” I too wanted to respond on Twitter but there was that check in my Spirit that kept me from saying anything. Thanks for putting it all into words and helping me get rid of all the confusion that I woke up with still this morning.
Well said Alan. I had a discussion with one of my boys this morning about not overly celebrating. After all, this man went to his death not knowing about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This makes me sad, even for a terrorist. I’m trying to focus myself and my boys on the grace that Christ has extended to us, remembering that I am grateful I do not receive the wrath I deserve. Thanks for such a great commentary.
Man… well said. I went to bed feeling guilt about my knee jerk reaction and weighing in. Not so much that I weighed in on the issues of justice but rather that my political leanings leaped out. Perhaps that is in itself a cry for justice due to my disgust at the talking heads of both sides. But I digress.
My point is that I did not thank God for justice and in turn pray for mercy on my own nation. I let the feeling of vindication awaken something and I grabbed the wrong fruit from the wrong tree. This proves, as if I don’t have enough evidence, that it’s best to not let the first thought fly from my depraved mouth and I should seek the corners of my heart and guard against the little foxes.
Excellent perspective filled with truth. Just moments before I read this, I had the thought about retaliation. Thanks for offering a healthy balanced viewpoint for those who read this to consider. It’s also great food for thought in a very personal situation my family is facing.
Pastor Alan, AWESOME remarks. Absolutely it is a symbolic victory at best. Our enemy will never be totally defeated until Jesus Christ steps foot on this earth and defeats all enemies in HIS name.
Sadly,to the best of our knowledge: Bin Laden faced God: the one true God, without a knowledge of His Son Jesus. Justice may have been served to him, but because of Jesus, we are able to escape the justice we deserve.
I too found myself alone driving when i heard the news. I was admitedly happy inside but i kept driving and getting closer to home I started feeling sad. I don’t know why. I just felt weird. I still don’t have much to say. I am just gonna choose to pray for our country, our leaders, our dear citizens and of course for the brave souls who have signed up to protect it and us.
Alan, you have given us a great lesson here and I thank you for providing a transparent, scriptural, and timely response. Great job Pastor Alan and as always, right on target!
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7
May this time in our history as Christians in America, be a display of the rich graces we have from our Father God. That our mouths would spill forth in a manner that showcases His love for all of His creation and His plans to redeem it all!
This is awesome! As soon as I heard about Bin Laden, my immediate reaction was,”Hell has a new resident!” After I thought that, I thought of the 3000+ that died at his doing. Justice for them was served and there can now be some closure to what happened almost 10years ago. My hatred of one individual made me forget that my God has already forgiven this man. Gives me chills to think about that. He knew what was going to happen, and he forgave him. It’s not up to us to judge anyone. It’s up to God, and he has already handed down His judgement. All we can do now is continue to pray for our troops as they face many challenges that will arise after this. They are in God’s hands and they need our support more than ever!
Well said and well processed. A very appreciated perspective & post to this gal who is reflective of such matters but not analytical. I’ve refrained from a twitter 2 cents but will pass thi s on. Thx.
One of my friends posted Ezekiel 33:11, “I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live.” I’m praying for safety for our troops still in harm’s way and our country. I do hope that this does reduce terrorism in the world.
“Our country’s enemies have many heads. Chopping one off is not unimportant, but it is also not anything close to a final victory.”
After reading through all of the tweets and Facebook posts from last night and then watching various news clips, I didn’t feel the need to chime in via any social media outlet because I couldn’t find the exact wording that would express what I was really believing, more than what I was feeling at that moment.
The words above that I’ve pulled from your blog are the very words I tweeted today because you summed up, in 140 characters or less, where my heart really sat on the matter.
For those who lost a loved one on 9/11, if this news brings a sense of much needed closure on their wound, then I rejoice with them and pray that God uses this ‘victory’ to seal healing in their hearts.
But for those who reveled as if this one death was the ‘end’ we’ve all been waiting for, I question the complacency that could settle and what could follow.
Thank you for a thoughtful post to read.
I agree – the Word says we should not rejoice that demons are subject to our authority but that our name is written in the Lambs Book of Life!!! We should be praying for eternal life for those who don’t know the Lamb, it is sad that Bin Laden died a very lost man.
Thank you for sharing Pastor Alan. The problem with terrorism still exists… let’s pray for all terrorist to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
I have been of the same mindset, unable to rejoice. Knowing we fight not against flesh and blood and that our real enemy is still out there. Though a human tool is vanquished, Satan lures another to take his place. But God has no pleasure in the death of His creation and desires that men TURN from evil and choose LIFE. Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11.
Pastor Alan,
Well said! I too was internally happy for justice, but I can’t help feeling like this may be like the mythological hydra and by cutting off one head two more ferocious heads will replace it. I’m proud of the men and women who serve and have served our country and by no means want to minimize their accomplishments, but I agree that we need to remain sober about this victory.
Amen and amen! What an extremely needed thought this is. The emotions run high and the opinions are being expressed but at the end of the day we need to rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I am proud to be an American but even more proud to be a follower of Christ, a Christian.
Great post … Dr Shibley shared Ezekiel 33:11 with us yesterday … Helps the perspective you’re sharing.
Love you bro!!!!
Alan,
Thank you for your blog. Completely felt the same. Couldn’t rejoice over much yest except it being the 400 anniv. of William Tyndale and the King James Bible knowing God’s word is soverign. The truth you speak of real as one sin is no worse than the other. I felt such a heaviness through the day as it might seem many of your reader’s felt as well. A heaviness of feeling the sadness that the enemy did a good job in OBL. As I watched the media in NYC, I found myself praying for the healing of those affected by his ugly deeds and asking God to wrap His sweet arms around them to help them begin the forgiveness process they might not have begun yet. I kept thinking, what went on in the life of OBL that kept him on the path of evil knowing he too was created for good. Again, Thank you for this again as I wasn’t sure who else was feeling what I was feeling and am so grateful to people like you who continue to make people like me know ‘we are in the world, but NOT of the world!
~well done!
Allan-
Great statement. I struggle with the way that Christians find it so easy to deal out death and judgement these days. Are we as commited to the teachings of Jesus as we are the ramblings of commentaries on Fox News??? It seems easier for us to hand out old testiment judgement than new testiment forgiveness… When hanging on the cross beaten, mocked, and dying didn’t our savoir say: “Father forgive them?” I’m not a pacisfist either, if someone comes to my house to hurt my wife and kids they’ve got a fight on their hands. However, humanity and the judgement thereof belongs to one and only One and I’m not Him! I can’t help but feel sorry for Bin Laden and the eternal future that awaits him if he never believed.
Thanks Alan. I would just like to add that our fight is not against flesh and blood. The same evil that was at work in Osama is still at work in this world. We cannot kill every person that cooperates with evil, we can pray and trample on evil and we can tell the world about the saving grace and good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Getting lost people saved will do more for trampling on evil than killing will.
Once again, you’ve provided balance in an otherwise off-kilter world. I love that your gift is seeing a problem, and then looking at it through Kingdom eyes. You bring the Kingdom with you in such a powerful way.
I love being the one that gets to watch these processes; I’m proud to be your wife.
Thanks for such beautiful note Alan. God speaks clearly to me trough it. I am waiting for such a time when we all will live in His peaceful presence!
Thanks Alan. Well said. Nothing can bring back the lives of those we lost on 9/11. Certainly, the death of Bin Laden does bring a sense of justice in this world. But it certainly doesn’t end the evil of terrorism in this world. We face a large enemy.
I don’t share your Faith my brother, but I share much of your Reason. Thanks for being a Christian voice that speaks to other Christians in such a manner.
We “apostates” long for “believers” that can see through the smoke, carry the flame of their Faith, and light a path of sanity for others to follow.
I hope others can carry your passion for Christ while simultaneously carrying compassion for those who believe differently. You are a true believer, with a true heart for those who aren’t. Thanks for being you.
Jace,
Reading your comment on Facebook was the moment I realized Jesus wasn’t joining me in my reaction.
“Tonight, as we learn that the U.S. military has successfully killed Osama Bin Laden we should be glad. But we should be sober, if not somber, in our “victory”. This is not a time for a celebration. This is a time for reflection.”
Your initial response was more Christ like than my own. God continues to teach me through you. For this I am grateful.
Well said Alan. Thank you for the post.