Be not joyful when you see calamity on the evil
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
and He turn away His wrath from him. Proverbs 24:17-18
The idea of wishing evil on those
who have harmed us or hurt us is not of God
It is of the flesh
and it can be influenced by the evil one
Gleeful feelings of exuberance when your enemy falls
is the opposite of God’s best for the enemy or for how we react
The disciples were ready to call down fire on those who rejected Jesus:
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord,
wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven,
and consume them, even as Elias did?
But He turned, and rebuked them, and said,
Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
And they went to another village. Luke 9:54-56
…the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them…
Here is a litmus test
Do you wish the best for your enemy?
Do you want to see them in heaven beside you?
Cleansed and humble before the Lord?
The best we can hope for our enemies is their best
and for them to have an ability to understand God’s ways
I say unto you, Love your enemies
Do good to those who despitefully use you and abuse you
Don’t think you are better than they are
You may have offended someone else and the Lord in your past
Would you like to be sentenced to Hell for such deeds?
Forgive or you may not be forgiven
Let it go
Love them anyway
Scriotural References:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:15