The Death of the Wicked (Ezekiel 18:23)

Ezekiel 18:23 – “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”
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How do you feel about the death of the wicked? All of us are concerned about the life, death, and perhaps even the eternal state of our loved ones. We are all interested in the well-being of those we consider to be good people. But what about the evil? What about the wicked?

God’s heart is pretty plain on this topic. Here in Ezekiel 18, God is totally open with us. He takes no delight in the death of the wicked. God finds no joy in a wicked person suffering the appropriate consequences for their sin. This negates neither God’s sovereignty nor our responsibility to carry out justice. But it shows for us his heart. God will do what is right. God will be just. But God will take no pleasure in the death or the ultimate, eternal punishment of the wicked.

So, the question is, “Is your heart like that of God?” I would guess, if we are truly honest with each other, that all of us could use a little heart work here. We ought never find ourselves celebrating when a wicked person dies. We ought never find ourselves indifferent whenever we hear about the death of anyone. We should find no joy when we hear that a murderer’s death sentence was carried out (even though such a sentence is just and within biblical parameters). We ought not find it joyous to hear that terrorists were taken out by our military or that the police took down a gunman. Again, though those things may be right, they are not things that bring us joy. Nor should we simply allow ourselves to be cold or indifferent when we hear of tragedies in third world countries or in the neighboring county.

Why should we find no joy in the death of the wicked? The answer is, hell. Hell is the ultimate punishment for a sinful humanity that has rebelled against a holy, loving, perfect Creator. Hell is just. Hell glorifies God, as God’s perfect hatred of sin is eternally demonstrated. But, make no mistake about it, there is nothing that should give us joy in thinking that anyone, and I mean anyone, is headed there.

God demonstrated his love in that, while we were all still sinners, Christ came to die (Romans 5:8). If we are to be like God, we need to do our dead-level best to take that love of God to as many people as we can in order that some might be saved. We want people to be forgiven. Remember, we who know Christ are not different than those who are lost. We are the wicked who were snatched from the fire. So, let us learn to have our hearts be like the heart of God, finding no joy, no pleasure, in the death of the wicked.