Sermon Tone Analysis

“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?” [1]

Following a busy day last Sunday, I relaxed with Lynda by watching television in the evening.

I was struggling mightily to remain awake as we watched a cooking show.

Suddenly, I was startled by a buzzing in my pocket announcing receipt of a text message.

The message, from my daughter, read simply, “Are u watching news?

Bin Laden is dead.”

The news was electrifying.

I read it to Lynda, and we switched to Fox News.

Geraldo was visibly flabbergasted—he was blathering in an attempt to fill time, waiting for the President to formally announce the action.

In short order we learned that a black ops team had killed Usama bin Laden and taken the body with them.

Elite forces composed of men from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (commonly known as DEVGRU) and the United States Army Night Stalkers had flown into Abbottabad, located sixty kilometers north of Islamabad.

There, the team had disembarked from the helicopters, entered the various buildings on the compound where they engaged in a firefight before entering the main building.

Within forty minutes, the warriors had killed two couriers, a son of the murderer, a woman who was caught in the crossfire and the depraved Islamist sociopath who was shot twice in the head.

The man who engineered the murder of multiple innocent men, women and children in the name of his religion was himself killed.

He died as the coward he was, cowering like a cornered rat.

I was galvanised by the recitation of events as they unfolded.

Soon, broadcasts showed a jubilant crowd gathered in front of the White House, raucous crowds gathered in Times Square and scenes of jubilation at the United States Air Force Academy, at West Point and at Annapolis.

Candidly, I experienced a variety of emotions as I pondered what I should feel at the death of a man that had come to represent evil.

I certainly experienced exhilaration—the Islamist fiend responsible for unleashing a cowardly attack on an unsuspecting and peaceful people had received justice.

I certainly felt a sense of deep pride in the reports affirming the professionalism of the American special ops teams.

There was a sense of relief that an ogre, a psychopath who used religion to justify his hatred, was removed from the earth.

However, a nagging question arose in my mind: what response does the Lord expect of His people at the death of the wicked.

I went to bed pondering my response to the news of the death of this evil man.

It wasn’t until the next day that matters began to resolve themselves, especially after reading a blog by Denny Burk.

[2] Professor Burk rightly cautioned believers to weigh carefully their reaction to the death of a wicked man in light of God’s character as revealed through the Word.

That is my intent in the message this day.

I caution the people of God not to assume a position that leaves us guilty either of arrogance or of presumption.

Rather, let us acknowledge that God is righteous, and that at best, our responses are not often godly.

I caution that we must accept humbly that God does rule in the affairs of men—and He does call the wicked to account.

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS — For the sake of intellectual and theological clarity, one truth must be emphasised—God is righteous.

By definition, God is holy; He is just.

Should the Lord God prove unrighteous or unjust in even a single instance, He could not be God.

More frequently than one might imagine, sinners accuse God of injustice.

Foolish people sometimes bandy about the charge that the death of the innocent proves that God is unjust; God is commonly imagined to be the author of death.

Such a view ignores the fact that our own sinful condition results in death.

The Apostle acknowledges this when he states, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” [1 CORINTHIANS 15:22].

The innocent die, not because of rebellion, but as result of participation as part of this fallen race.

Know that God has made provision for those that are innocent, promising life in the Son of God.

Jesus addressed the issue of death for the innocent when He spoke on one occasion.

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem’” [LUKE 13:1-4]?

The child of God knows that the Father is holy; He is righteous and just.

Jeremiah began a complaint before the LORD on one occasion with affirmation of His righteousness, “Righteous are You, O LORD” [JEREMIAH 12:1].

His words serve as affirmation of the Psalmist’s observation, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His words” [PSALM 145:17]; and they anticipate the testimony before the True and Living God that will be heard in eternity, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just as Your judgements” [REVELATION 16:7]!

God is righteous, and we are unrighteous.

We know that “The wages of sin is death” [ROMANS 6:23].

Thus, we are compelled to agree with the divine assessment of our condition:

“‘None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.’

‘Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.’

‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’

‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’

‘Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known.’

‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

[ROMANS 3:10-18]

Few of us have difficulty agreeing that Usama bin Laden and the minions of al Qaeda followers fit the dark description just read.

When we review the horrible details of the offensive against all who disagreed with the wicked man—both Jews and Christians, and even other Muslims who did not fit his definition meriting life—we are convinced that he deserved his rough justice.

As is often true of the wicked, Usama bin Laden advocated and approved death for innocent people.

Then, having bloodied his hands, he engaged in evils that are more heinous still.

Al Qaeda pioneered the use of mentally challenge young women wearing suicide vests in crowded places to murder scores of innocent people—usually other Muslims.

Unfortunately, these evil men could only pull off such depraved attacks twice due to insufficient numbers of mentally challenged women.

They then hit upon the even more monstrous crime of raping young women repeatedly.

Shattered by the experience, these young women were delivered to a woman known as Umm al-Mumineen—“Mother of Believers.”

Samira Ahmed Jasmin would convince them that they could redeem their honour and regain respectability through wearing a suicide vest and killing infidels.

She confessed to participating in convincing over eighty young women, twenty-eight of whom actually committed suicide while attempting to kill others.

[3]

As abhorrent, barbaric, contemptible and despicable as such acts are in the estimate of civilised people, I caution that each of us must confess that when measured by the perfect standard of Christ the Lord, we fall short of the divine standard.

We are compelled to confess, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [ROMANS 3:23].

In agreement with God’s assessment of our condition, we are compelled to admit that we, also, are sinful people.

This raises a question of grave significance: does God rejoice at the death of the wicked?

How does God react at the death of evil people?

If we are able to answer this question, it will give us insight into our own character and actions, providing guidance for our own reactions to the death of the wicked.

GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS PRECLUDES JOY IN THE DEATH OF THE WICKED — We are told on several occasions that God laughs at evil men.

After describing evil men who howl like dogs and prowl about the city, bellowing and seeking to destroy the wicked, David says that the LORD laughs at them.

He continues by stating that God holds “all the nations in derision” [PSALM 59:8].

Clearly, the laughter of ridicule is in view.

[4] This same view of God mocking the wicked is presented in PSALM 37:12, 13 and PSALM 2:1-4.

The concept is fully expanded in the Proverbs where we read Solomon’s words:

“Because I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you,

when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.”

[PROVERBS 1:24-28]

Honesty compels me to make one observation as a caution against sinning against the Lord God.

The Living God does mock sinners; but nowhere are we given permission to mock wicked men at their death.