Throngs in the USA gathered to celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden last night. Others across the world rioted. Is there clear victory and defeat here? Which vision for a kingdom on earth has won—Osama’s or America’s? Neither?
Have We Witnessed a Victory? Or Something Else?
Has the USA won after 10 years of fighting, countless dead/injured, and our government racking up 14 trillion dollars in debt? Have the proponents of jihad won by baiting America into digging herself a pit from which which she will probably never get out? Or are all of us vividly witnessing what the kingdoms of men look like—chaos, wars, enslaving debt, decay, depression, destruction, death?
Pride and Rebellion
What has transpired in the last decades is not new. All the nations and ideologies of mankind rage ultimately not against a national ruler, but a divine ruler. Psalm 2 asks, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!'”
Mankind’s inherent pride, rebelling against the Kingdom of God, results in the Osama Bin Ladens of the world and the sad state of affairs here in America. To the degree that America, her citizenry, and her leaders have the same kind of pride that Osama Bin Laden had, she will metaphorically suffer the same fate—a fatal headshot.
The Lesson of Osama Bin Laden
Furthermore, the end can come suddenly and unexpectedly. News reports suggest Osama was living large and comfortable in a 1 million dollar complex. Navy seals swept in and within 40 minutes Osama was ushered into eternity and subsequently his body was thrown into the sea. After decades of proud boasting, his corpse is now fishfood. The lesson of Osama Bin Laden is that God humbles the proud.
The Proper Response
Therefore, Proverbs 24:17-20 states,
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls; and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him. Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Instead of rejoicing, start repenting and seeking the Kingdom of God led by the Son of God, Christ.