He Got What He Deserved
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. Proverbs 24:17-18
Do Not Rejoice – How common it is for us to exult in the defeat of an enemy! There is that little bit of human revenge that surfaces when we see disaster befall someone who has opposed us. We feel perfectly justified. After all, he got what he deserved. Even God would agree. Sin requires punishment.
This proverb shocks us. It stands in opposition to all our sense of fairness. But unless we understand its deeper meaning, we will simply pass over its command as unrealistic or unnecessary. How can God really expect us not to feel good about just punishment?
The Hebrew root is samach (to be glad, to be joyful, to gloat). Here the phrase is al tis-mach – “do not be glad or gloat.” Why? Because gloating over the fall of an enemy misunderstands the heart of God. God punishes, but His punishment is always accompanied by tears of sorrow. God weeps justice. Every punishment is intended to bring the wicked back into relationship with Him. The very fact that punishment is needed only underlines the injury and despair that sin has introduced into those who bear His image. God is not only crucified, He goes to the cross with tears of sorrow.
Verse 18 explains just how deeply compassionate God really is. His mercy is so much a part of His character that He will not promote further injustice by rejoicing over the defeat of His enemies nor will He encourage any circumstances that promote callousness or cynicism. In fact, the sin of gloating over deserved punishment is so great that God will turn His anger away from those who are under His wrath in order to prevent callous disregard for the terrible state of the wicked.
Our human inclination is a despicable misrepresentation of the true heart of the Savior. His compassion had the taste of tears, not just for those who experienced injustice at the hands of the wicked, but for the inevitable punishment that the wicked would inherit. No wonder Jesus exhorted us to love our enemies. The heart of the Father was broken over their disobedience. Is yours?
