When Foes Fail
The Bible has some conflicting passages about how we should react when evil people stumble. But we must look at them carefully. For instance, Psalm 52:6-7 says:
The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
At first glance this passage seems to encourage us to laugh at unbelievers who get caught up in their riches then lose their wealth or they die and can’t take it with them. On the other hand, we find a conflicting passage in Proverbs 24:17-18:
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
Should we laugh at those who we know are evil and get their due punishment? Or should we not rejoice in their misfortune? To make it more applicable to the current world situation, do we rejoice when we hear the head of a terrorist organization has been killed?
If I read these conflicting verses correctly, I see the Psalm simply saying that people do rejoice and laugh at the calamity of their enemies. It isn’t a command to laugh at them. It shows that even godly people have insensitivity to the misfortune of others.
The proverb, however, provides us with a better way to behave at the misfortune of our enemies or those who have rejected Jesus. We recognize that God is in control of what happens to them as well as us. When our attitude is wrong, the Lord may spare our foes simply because of our wrong attitude.
Jesus told us to love and pray for people who persecute and abuse us. When we see the rich following their wealth to destruction, when we see enemies of the cross perishing, we should pray for them and seek their salvation.
That’s why every one of my posts calls people who don’t know Jesus to repent and turn to Him for salvation. If you are one of those I’ve mentioned and don’t know Jesus but want to know His love for you, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link
