The Death of an Enemy


Proverb 6:16-19 says the following: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breaths out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (ESV) I think most American Christians would agree that Osama bin Laden fit these seven characteristics to perfection. So, the question is already out there as to whether America was justified in killing bin Laden. A number of Christian writers, most much smarter than I, are trying to apply passages of Scripture about loving our enemies to the situation implying we did not have the moral right to take this action and, as Christians, we should not rejoice in the death of this mass murderer.

For those Christians who reject the Old Testament as having any relevance to our New Testament times, please stop reading now. For those who consider the entire Bible as both true and authoritative, please bear with me. In the NT, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them. The context (Sermon on the Mount) seems clear that he is speaking to us as individuals. It is most difficult to understand how corporate entities can “turn the other cheek.” We are called to be at peace with all men (Rom 12:18 and Heb 12:14) but this is as individuals. In Romans 13 we are called to be in subjection to the government authorities “who do not bear the sword in vain.” In the Old Testament, God directed Joshua to claim the promised land for God’s people and utterly destroy the people who occupied the land. In Deut 9:5 we learn that God is giving the land to his people “not because your righteousness . . . but because of the wickedness of the nations [Canaanites].”

I agree that we need to be careful not to try to equate America with God’s chosen people of the Old Testament. However, the American government is a lawful authority that has been granted the power of the sword. Unless you reject the “just war” argument entirely, then you accept that American has the moral authority to protect its citizens from attack by entities who pledge to destroy our country. Osama bin Laden was an evil man that was part of a false and evil religion that seeks to destroy the Body of Christ as well as our country. Our government has the moral right to kill the enemy and we have the same right to rejoice as did Israel when the walls of Jericho fell.