We often hear people
rejoicing when evil men are put to death, but I wonder how many stop to think
about what is happening. Is it right to be happy when men (or women) who do
wrong are killed for their crimes? Years ago, in the Old Testament times, God
often had the Israelites kill people for him, or he struck them down himself.
Does it please God when wicked people die? This is an issue that God and many
of the prophets discuss in depth. There is one book that really illustrates
this, however, and that is the story of Jonah.
The story of Jonah is
not long, but it has a good lesson. Jonah is told to go to Ninevah to prophesy
against the sin of the city. Jonah decides he does not want to go, so he runs
away and tries to go to a place in Spain called Tarshish. God (of course) knows
what Jonah has done and causes a great storm to come upon the boat, and Jonah
knows it is because of his sin. Jonah is cast of the boat (at his request) and
is swallowed by a great fish in whom he stays for three days and nights,
praying and repenting. Jonah actually GOES to Ninevah and preaches against the
city, of which the people are repentant and return to God. God decides to
forgive Ninevah and decides not to destroy the city. That's what brings us to
chapter 4. Go and read it now.
Jonah is mad because the
Lord forgives the city. He says that for that very reason he
did not want to go to Ninevah to preach, because he knew that the Lord is a
forgiving God. Evidently Jonah believed that God should have just destroyed
this city of people. Jonah even goes so far as to ask the Lord to kill HIM!
God uses an object
lesson to teach him. Jonah went out of the city a distance and waited to see
what would happen (presumably whether or not the Lord would destroy the
people). Of course, God had already decided to forgive the people, so he causes
a gourd plant to grow overnight into a shade for Jonah as he sits outside the
city. The next day, however, God sent a worm to eat the plant and cause it to
die. God also caused a hot wind to blow on Jonah, and again he wants to die.
God then scolds Jonah. He compares the plant to the city. The plant had grown
up and died within 24 hours, and Jonah was very torn up about it, but this city
held more than 120,000 people! God asks Jonah whether those people are
important too? The book abruptly ends there, and it makes me wonder what
Jonah's response was. Perhaps, considering he probably wrote this book, he
learned the lesson the Lord wanted to teach him.
CONCLUSION
What lesson should WE
learn from these verses? God doesn't want everyone to die and go to eternal
punishment! We can see that fact from how he made the Scheme of Redemption and
send HIS ONLY SON to die for the sins of the world! God isn't happy when evil people
die! God wants all people to turn to him and to obey him. My mind goes to the
story of the Parable of the Lost Sheep. At the end of the parable, Jesus says
that there is greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99
people who need not repent. The story of the Prodigal Son also shows this! What
was the father (who represents God) doing when his son returned? He was
watching and waiting hoping to see his son walking down the path to their home!
God is eager for people to return to him and do what is right!
We should never rejoice
at the death of wicked men, but rather pray for more opportunities to shine our
light into the world and help turn some of the darkness into light. The only
joy we can truly feel at a death is when we know that the person who has died
was a faithful believer in the Lord, and we know that his destiny is certain in
the Kingdom of our great father in heaven.
Some other verses for
consideration:
Isaiah 55:7 - Let the
wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to
the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely
pardon.
Lamentations 3:31-33 -
For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will
show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly
bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Ezekiel 18:23 - Do I
have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD,
"rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:32 - For I
take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent
and live!
Ezekiel 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, people of Israel?'
Joel 2:12-13 -
"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your
heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not
your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending
calamity.
John 3:17 - For God did
not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 - This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 2:25 -
Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them
repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord
is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.
