Dealing with evil men

Wisdom and Evil men

Proverbs 24

For many people there was confusion about how to respond to the killing of Osama bin Laden. I mentioned on my blog how I felt a mixture of relief, remembrance, sadness and confusion about what had happened. For some there was no question but that this was a cause for rejoicing and they took to the streets.

And that reaction is understandable, especially if you were in New York or Washington or Pennsylvania on that terrible day 10 years ago. The wisdom of the book of Proverbs understands that kind of reaction clearly when it says this; ‘When the righteous prosper the city rejoices; when the wicked perish there are shouts of joy.’

But the same book then says this later on. ‘Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice.’ How can those two ideas be reconciled? Don’t they contradict one another? How can they both be in the same Bible, never mind the same book of the Bible?

To understand this we need to understand a little more about the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, many of them attributed to Solomon. It is not telling a story like the history books or the gospels and it is not developing a argument like Paul’s letters. It is simply an anthology of wise words. These wise words have two functions.

First, some of the sayings of Proverbs simply describe the world as it is. They are a description of how life often works out. So you will find proverbs that say that lazy people won’t eat because they won’t work to earn money to buy bread. That is how things generally work out. Generally wicked people are punished and most people when they think about it will recognise that wisdom is a more enduring and fulfilling aim in life than wealth.

There are a few proverbs that simply but clearly state that life sometimes works in a way that seems wrong. So bribery sometimes works. This is not to say that bribery is right or good but simply that people who want something and are prepared to offer a bribe will sometimes get what they want. That’s life. That’s the world we live in.

But the second function of these Proverbs is to guide us so that we get the best out of life. There are some principles to follow if you want to increase your chances of living a good and fulfilled life in this world. Among those ideas are the thought that it is better to desire wisdom than to envy the wicked for what their evil has gained them. There is the encouragement to work hard so that you can feed yourself and your family. There is the warning to watch what you say so that you are not characterised as either a gossip or a liar or a flatterer.

There are long sections of the book of proverbs warning against the dangers of lust and adultery. There are also short, pithy phrases warning people against the misuse of alcohol and the dangers of drunkenness. Throughout the book there is a concern that justice is done for the poor and the weak.

I would suggest that the verse from Proverbs 11 about rejoicing over the demise of the wicked is simply a statement of the way things often are. Proverbs 24, on the other hand offers some sound advice about how to deal with enemies.

First of all we see that if you want to build something that will last you will do better to use wisdom than wickedness. Sometimes evil can achieve things quickly and spectacularly but those achievement rarely last. Wisdom leaves a legacy of understanding, knowledge and beauty behind it for those who will follow on. It may not be spectacular but it will last.

Following on from this idea is the thought that it is better to use wisdom and wise arguments out in the open than to plot and scheme behind the scenes. In our world today we generally believe that in international affairs it is better to use wise and persuasive arguments in places like the UN or the G20 or NATO or the EU than to plot and plan in secret. If you do make plans in secret without involving the rest of the world you will need wise advice in how to justify the action that you have taken.

You will still need wise words to bring to the city gate – the place where justice is done and the merits of cases decided. When President Obama gave his address on Sunday night, it was designed to make the case for the action that was taken. It was a well thought out address, delivered calmly and making the argument for bin Laden’s killing.

Proverbs 24 is also clear that when the strong use their strength they must use it wisely. They must be ready to use that strength in times of trouble but they must be willing to use it first and foremost to protect the innocent and put an end to slaughter.

While the world was caught up in the reaction to bin Laden’s death the city of Misurata in Libya was still coming under intensive shelling and bombing by Gaddafi. A ship carrying refugees from Misurata to Benghazi was attacked and shelled. The UN has resolved to use all means to protect the innocent of Libya. It seems to be finding it difficult to act in strength here.

At the same time in the Syrian city of Deraa and in the suburbs of Damascus unarmed protestors are being shot and killed by the security forces while the UN seems unable or unwilling to prevent it. Listen to the words of Proverbs 24:11-12;                                         ¹¹Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering towards slaughter.

    ¹² If you say, But we knew nothing about this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

God knows how the leaders of the world react or fail to react to the death of innocents. Those in positions of power have great responsibility. They will be held accountable for the actions they have taken or refused to take. They need our prayers that they will be guided by wisdom, especially in these days.

Here we also learn that a righteous cause will prove resilient; ‘though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.’ Here we have great encouragement to continue to seek justice and righteousness in our world.

On April 4 1968, when Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis it must have seemed like a tragic ending. It was, of course just the beginning, because others stepped in to take the cause forward and the cause and its leader were not forgotten. On Thursday at Ground Zero the pledge was made again never to forget those who had died in that place and we never should.

We should never forget any innocents killed in conflict or terrorism. We should never forget the likes of Constable Ronan Kerr either – those who are prepared to take a stand against evil for something better. They leave us a legacy to make sure that their cause does not die with them.

But in defending the cause of the righteous we need to know how to respond to the downfall of an enemy. The front page headline of the New York Post is shocking in its hatred and triumphalism but it only echoes what so many people felt on Monday.

We need to be careful and examine our hearts. Triumphalism over a defeated enemy is problematic for us as Christians. We need to remember whose enemy we were. We were God’s enemy and he does not rejoice over our downfall, he does not celebrate when we experience judgement. Instead he sends a saviour to rescue us from that judgement and save us from that wrath. At all times we need to remember that we do not get what we deserve from God – we get grace and mercy instead.

Although acts of evil are distressing and traumatic and leave deep, deep scars they are ultimately futile. The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out, we are told and it is entirely possible that god in his sovereign wisdom used a group of US special forces to snuff out the evil of bin Laden.

But whether justice comes in this world or the next we should know that it will come. We do not need to fret over evil men. Evil, as we discovered this morning, has been defeated by Christ at the cross. We will trust in him.

Love and Evil men

The death of Osama bin Laden well and truly took over the news headlines from the other big event last weekend – the Royal Wedding. It now almost seems forgotten in the harsh bump back down to earth that we got from events in Pakistan.

But there was something that happened at the wedding that has a strange and eerie relevance for what we are thinking about tonight. During the service James Middleton, Kate’s brother read from Romans 12. It is a passage which focuses on the nature of love and it is easy to apply to two people getting married. The qualities that that chapter talks about, especially in verses 9-16, are very appropriate for a wedding day.

Qualities of love, patience, faithfulness, hospitality, empathy and humility are vital for a marriage and are equally vital in the life of the church – the situation for which Paul was writing.

But in the midst of the passage there are also some echoes of the way we, in love, need to deal with those who hate us and I want to briefly draw our attention to some of those.

In verse 14 Paul says, ‘Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.’ How do we respond when people curse us? How do we react when someone makes it clear not just that they disagree with us but that they hate us and everything we stand for? What do we do when someone makes it their life’s work to destroy us and our way of life?

Paul says we bless them. We seek their good. We long for them not to be so eaten up by hatred but to find a greater purpose worth living for. Those sentiments were expressed last year by Matt Baggott when talking about dissident republicans ''I ask God to take the scales off their eyes so they actually become people and their families have a future that is about anything other than violence and rage and bitterness and anger," he said.
''So they free themselves up to play their part in the right way in the future in Northern Ireland and I think that's a prayer that I share with many other people in Northern Ireland and many people in the South (of Ireland) and many, many churches here, but we should be praying for people who are trapped in the cycle of violence and anger.''

What he is doing here is not just praying that they would stop but that they themselves would be able to have a better life than their hatred and bitterness is allowing them to have at the moment.

Is this not the same sentiment expressed by a man on a cross who, as his enemies were hammering nails into his feet and hands was praying for their forgiveness?

Then he goes on to say we should not repay evil for evil. We have seen how the cycle of tit for tat violence destroyed normal life in this society for nearly forty years. We have seen how certain people consistently refused to learn the lesson that repaying evil with evil only ever escalates the conflict.
It has yet to be seen if the violent death of bin Laden will lead to escalation but in the meantime it is vital that world powers be seen to be behaving rightly and with justice. It is vital that we do all in our power to promote and build peace in the Middle East. In our own country we have got to be seen to be building a society in which the causes of conflict are gone and those who would drag us backwards are isolated.

This doesn’t mean that we should treat evil as though it didn’t matter. Rather it means that we should not follow the desire for vengeance through to its logical conclusion. Evil deserves to be punished but because our way of doing things is too often about revenge than about justice we need to step back and leave room for God’s wrath.

Wrath and judgement can be delivered here and now through earthly structures. In Romans 13 Paul says that God has given rulers power to judge and condemn evil. But even if earthly justice fails there is a day coming when God’s wrath will fall on all evildoers.

Instead of seeking revenge we are to serve our enemies. This striking poster makes the point of love for our enemies very well. This is not an optional extra in the Christian life. This is not for the elite Christians. We are all called to love and serve our enemies as Christ loved and served us.

And there is wisdom from the book of Proverbs to back this up. Feed and water your enemy and it is more likely to bring him to repentance than any act of revenge ever will. Does he deserve to be fed and watered by you? No. Does he deserve to be punished by you? Yes. But then what did you deserve from God? Punishment. And what did you receive? Grace.

Finally, says Paul, ‘do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’. Osama bin Laden was not defeated on Sunday night when he was shot dead. He was defeated on September 11, 2001 when firefighters ran into burning  and collapsing buildings to rescue people they had never met. He was defeated when hundreds of New Yorkers rushed to the scene to give medical assistance, support and blood. He was defeated when those people chose to overcome evil with good.

Evil was defeated at the cross. When Jesus refused to retaliate, when he blessed his enemies, when he died to make peace and when he served us by bearing the force of God’s wrath against our sin, he defeated evil. The cross stands as testimony to that victory. It is our victory and it will never fail.

Osama Bin Laden - how to respond?

When I got up this morning and turned on the radio it was difficult to believe what I was hearing. The man who ordered the event that has so far defined the global history of the 21st century was dead. It took some moments before I actually realised that they were talking about Bin Laden in the past tense and it will take me a lot longer to work out what my response to his death should be. Today I can only share some initial reactions.

My first response of disbelief was quickly replaced by a quiet remembrance of the lives lost nearly 10 years ago on September 11 2001. Then, if I am honest, there was a sense of relief that the man whose continuing threats have haunted so many was no longer around to be feared. That sense of relief did not last long, however, as the realisation sank in that not only are there already plenty of people prepared to take his place but that the very fact of his violent death may encourage and inspire a whole new generation of militants.

The exuberant crowds who gathered in the early hours in Washington and New York looked alarmingly similar to the crowds of Palestinians who cheered and celebrated the destruction of the World Trade Centre and I notice that in response to a Gospel Coalition blog one person who was there in the wee small hours has already wondered about whether it reflected a right response.

My mind turned to the response given by David when he learned that his arch-enemy Saul had been killed on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. Of course the situation was different. Saul was God's anointed king who David himself had refused to kill on at least two occasions. Nevertheless, you would expect David to rejoice at the death of his enemy even if that rejoicing was tempered by the death of his best friend, Jonathan. There is no such response from David. Instead there is a lament for both Saul and Jonathan. There is sadness and sorrow that it has come to this.

There will be few who will lament for Bin Laden and I don't think that it would be appropriate to lament the death of a man who caused such untold suffering for thousands of people. But neither do I think that we should rejoice. Perhaps our response should be calmly to reflect and remember and firmly to resolve to stand against evil and violence in whatever form it comes. Perhaps that reflection should be tinged with a sadness that the early 21st century seems worryingly similar to the 20th in terms of the prevalence of violence.

Maybe the right response is a lament at the state of our broken, violent world coupled with an unfailing trust in the God who judges evil and loves righteousness. Such a response is found in the middle of the book of Lamentations;
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
    Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
    They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
    I say to myself, The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.

I do not have hope because my enemy is dead. I do not have hope because my country is greater and stronger than yours. I have hope because of the everlasting compassion, love and faithfulness of God. I do not need victory over my enemies. I do not need vengeance or even the guarantee of earthly justice being done to the likes of Bin Laden. The LORD is my portion. He is enough. I will wait for Him.