Response to Bin Laden's Death

Over the last couple of days, I've heard a lot of responses to Bin Laden's death.  Here's a sampling....

1)  Good Riddance - wish we'd gotten him a long time ago!

2)  They shouldn't have shot him, because that was murder...they should have brought him in for a fair trial.  (This one is mostly from lawyers that I know.  Not sure they care about justice so much...but I know they like to showcase the legal system...)

3)  It's wrong to rejoice over anyone's death, even an enemy who wronged you.  (This one is usually followed by a quote from Martin Luther King.)

So how do I feel?

Well, I am not dancing on his grave, but I am glad he's dead.  There are two reasons for that...

First, because I feel like it makes the world a little bit safer for my family.  Osama Bin Laden made it very clear that as long as he lived, he would dedicate his life to slaughtering the innocent who disagreed with his religious views.  He also ordered his men to shoot him if it looked like he would be captured alive, so that was not going to happen.  Therefore, the only way to stop him was to take him out.  So we did. 

Second, I believe in justice, and that's what OBL got.  The Bible allows those in authority to take an eye for an eye in order to prevent reprisals that were out of proportion to necessary punishment for wrongdoing.  Do we all get justice?  No, thank God.  We are shown mercy, and he withholds the punishment that we deserve.  I am so thankful that I don't always get what I deserve for my sins.  However, sometimes God chooses to extend his hand of justice in defense of the innocent, and I truly believe that is what happened here.  You may disagree, and I respect that.  But this is what I believe. 

So how do I feel?  I feel happy because I feel a little safer.  I feel sad because a man went to hell.  But most of all, I feel like the decision was in the hands of an Almighty God.  And I won't question it.