When I found out the news about Osama bin Laden I had mixed emotions. On one side, I was glad that justice had been served. I was happy for the families who lost loved ones and could now find closure. I was proud of our military who carried out their mission with excellence.
On the other side, I was saddened that a man died without the true and living God in his life. A man would spend eternity apart from a God that loved him.
So with mixed emotions I found it rather disturbing when people danced in the street. How should a Christ follower feel about the death of an evil man? As I looked through Scripture I discovered that having mixed emotions is probably the biblical response.
Notice the tension in these two Proverbs:
11:10 - When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
24:17 - Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice...
That is the essence of tension. In one verse we see the wicked perish and there are shouts of joy. The other we are told to not let our heart rejoice when our enemy falls. Mixed emotions. There is a joy of justice enacted and the sorrow of the reality of destruction.
I found these two verses in Ezekiel to be very helpful:
18:23 - Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
33:11 - Say to them, As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?
I often turn to Pastor John Piper for difficult questions as this one. His blog about the death of bin Laden is very helpful. The title of his blog: Is God glad Osama bin Laden is dead? I would encourage you to read it.
So if you have mixed emotions about bin Laden's death; you are probably feeling the way God wants you to feel.

Pastor Tim