This is long, but bear with me, I did attempt to cut it as short as I could!
God is good. God is just. God is merciful. God is love. God is sovereign.
Fact: Jesus died at the hands of evil, of enemies who he knew would torture and kill thousands of His followers, and he died with love and forgiveness for them on his lips.
God is sovereign. Osama Bin Laden would not be dead right now if God had wanted him put on trial, God isn’t standing up in heaven going, “aw, MAN! HOW DID I MISS THAT?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO GO ON TRIAL!” If He is, then He is not sovereign, is He?
But God is sovereign, and He can and will glorify Himself, even in this (Romans 8:28)
Should we praise Him for His glory? Absolutely. Should we celebrate the victory of Hell over Bin Laden’s soul? The Bible tells me this:
“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.” Proverbs 24:17-18
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Matthew 5:44
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. 
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21 (reference to Proverbs 25:21-22)
We are called to a life of freedom and to be conformed to the image of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Not only did Christ NOT celebrate the death of His enemies, but also He died to offer them eternal life with Him.
Regardless of whether or not this man is alive, the sole source of evil is still present in this world, and the God I serve (still) already has victory over him.
I’m not insisting that you find it in your heart to forgive Bin Laden for his actions, I’m honestly struggling to figure out how to do that myself.
I write this as a woman in the DC metropolitan area who was once a 12-year-old little girl living less than 12 miles from the Pentagon when it was hit. I saw the smoke; lives lost affected my daily life. Both of my parents had worked at the Pentagon. I went to preschool at the Pentagon. I knew kids who lost their parents. People I knew were uprooted and transferred to other areas of the country, and I haven’t seen or heard from them since then. September 11, 2001 was not lost on me; it traumatized me. And it has been traced back and pinned on one man who was killed yesterday. I am trying to figure out how to process that emotionally.
Bin Laden’s actions in this world caused thousands of deaths, ignited hatred in the hearts of thousands more, and belittled and cursed the name of God. But not a bird falls from the sky without the acute awareness and approval of God. God is not caught off guard by the death of Osama Bin Laden. Here’s what’s beautiful about the God we serve:
The forgiveness offered at the Cross extends even over those sins. Had Osama Bin Laden understood and accepted the grace he was offered by Christ, he would have been forgiven…yes, for all that he did. His slate would have been wiped just as clean as yours and mine can be by the blood of Jesus Christ. God’s grace is THAT good.
I am reminded that Jesus’ sacrifice for us is so beautiful and so broad that it could have and would have forgiven even that man. So, there is nothing man can do that Jesus can’t forgive, right? That is worth celebrating! Tthere is nothing anyone on earth can do that God couldn’t or wouldn’t forgive through Jesus Christ, who died once to bear the wrath of sin for all (1 Peter 3:18) and THAT creates an incredible sense of urgency to reach the unreached.
Do not rejoice over a fallen enemy, but be encouraged by the strength and the grace of God…and spread it, in love, like wildfire.
