I Don’t Have to Like It

(Proverbs 24:17 KJV)  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

My first assumption is that the “enemy” (340) referred to here is encountered in war.  That is safe because back in verse 6 it talks about waging war.  I think that limits our understanding too much.  Most people will never fight in a war, at least in modern America.  Most people will come across people who are less than friendly.  We will have neighbors and co-workers who are impossible to get along with.  We will have people at church that we can’t stand.  They are enemies in the sense that they are not friends.

We are to desire the best for them.  We are not allowed to say things like, “They only got what they deserved”, or “serves them right”.  While it is possible that God in His wisdom is using tragedy to bring them to repentance, we are not to be judgmental by enjoying their pain.

So?  It seems counter-intuitive but it is agape love.  It is one of those aspects of serving the true God that I don’t like but I accept.