It is totally understandable that the destruction of the wicked would be a cause for rejoicing. Liberty has come. Tyranny has been toppled. Captives have been liberated. Evil has taken a major blow. Surely this is good news.
That’s why the Psalms often contain statements like this: “Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13)
God’s judgment on the wicked means blessing and salvation and deliverance for His suffering people. Why wouldn’t they/we rejoice?
Wasn’t it right to rejoice when the Nazis were crushed? Or when the rule of ISIS was broken? How is this not good news?
That’s also why Proverbs teaches, “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.” (Proverbs 11:10)
There is a fitting “Amen” when the wicked are punished for their sins.
Shouts of Praise at the Destruction of Evil
As the book of Revelation describes with reference to the destruction of sinful Babylon (symbolizing the epitome of human hubris and wickedness): “Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” (Revelation 18:19–20)
there is value in the life of every human being, and it is a real shame and a true loss when people rebel against their Maker’s plan and come under His judgment.
In fact, after Babylon’s final destruction is spelled out in further detail, the text states, “After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” (Revelation 19:1-2)
This is a cause for praise and rejoicing. In a word, hallelujah!
Yet there is another aspect to this that should be considered, and it is found in a rabbinic midrash (meaning, a unique rabbinic style of homiletical commentary).
Jewish Teaching Says God is Not Gladdened by the Downfall of the Wicked
I’ll produce the full text from the Talmud, using the expanded translation of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. (The bold words represent the Talmudic text, which is very concisely worded; the rest is the explanatory commentary.)
The Gemara [meaning, the Talmud] asks: But is the Holy One, Blessed be He, gladdened by the downfall of the wicked? Isn’t it written in the verse describing the victory of the Jewish people in battle: “He appointed them that should sing unto the Lord, and praise in the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and say: Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (II Chronicles 20:21). And Rabbi Yonatan says: For what reason is it not stated in this praise: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever,” as is stated elsewhere, e.g., Psalms 118:1? This is because the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not gladdened by the downfall of the wicked.
So, based on a slightly different wording of a familiar sentence in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmudic rabbis wonder why the phrase “He is good” is missing. They deduce (again, in a unique homiletical way, not in a straightforward reading of the text) it is because the Lord “is not gladdened by the downfall of the wicked.”
After all, they are part of His creation too. As the Lord expressed through the prophet Ezekiel, “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)
The Talmud then continues with this fascinating (and quite imaginative) account, shedding further light on why the Lord is not gladdened by the downfall of the wicked:
The Gemara [Talmud] comments: As Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says that Rabbi Yonatan says: What is the meaning of that which is written in the passage describing the splitting of the Red Sea: “And the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:20)? At that time the ministering angels desired to recite a song before the Holy One, Blessed be He. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: My handiwork, i.e., the Egyptians, are drowning in the sea, and you are reciting a song before Me? Apparently, God is not gladdened by the downfall of the wicked.
So, the Lord, the Creator of every single one of us, who refers to human beings as His “handiwork,” was not happy when the angels wanted to sing to one another as the Egyptians were drowning in the sea — even though the Egyptians had brutally oppressed the Israelites for many years; even though they wanted to enslave them once again; and even though it was the Lord who caused them to drown.
We Should Rejoice and Mourn
Not only so, but Exodus 15 records how Moses and his sister Miriam led the people of Israel in a song of rejoicing in celebration of this very event, proclaiming, “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:1–2)
Praise the Lord! He has delivered us from our mortal enemies! He has saved our lives from those who wanted to kill us or enslave us! He is a mighty God!
Surely, these are good and righteous sentiments, and surely we can relate to them. After all, how would we fill if murderous terrorists surrounded our children’s school, threatening to kill every one of them. Then, as we prayed and cried out to the Lord for help, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and killed them all. Wouldn’t we be weeping for joy and hugging each other and racing to be with our kids, praising God with all our might? Thank You, Lord!
Again, these are good and righteous sentiments. We should rejoice at such times. The bad guys got what they deserved. The good guys were delivered.
At the same time, this imaginative rabbinic commentary gives us something else to think about: there is value in the life of every human being, and it is a real shame and a true loss when people rebel against their Maker’s plan and come under His judgment.
We, too, can rejoice in the righteousness of that judgment while grieving at the loss of human lives.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Why So Many Christians Have Left the Faith. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.