Do you get joy when a criminal is punished, or you pray for them to Jesus?

[Leonardo Von]

Do you get joy when a criminal is punished, or you pray for them to Jesus?

•    Pro 20:17 -> “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.”.

When someone take some advantage in a business, they boast (Prov 20:14). The truth is that the wicked can’t find peace:

•    Isa 57:21 -> “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”.

While they don’t see someone suffering some harm, they don’t get elation:

•    Pro 4:14-17 -> “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.”.
•    Mic 2:1 -> “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.”. 
•    Hos 7:6 -> “For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.”.

It is regrettable that they have delight in the sufferings of people (as the whore of Proverbs 9):

•    Pro 9:17 -> “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 

What people don’t know is:

•    Pro 9:18 -> “But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”.

Hence the Holy Scripture says:

•    Pro 22:24,25 -> “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”.

We ought to adopt the same deportment as Moses:

•    Heb 11:24,25 -> “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”.

So, have a good day finding pleasure only in the company of those who find delight in what is good to Jesus’ eyes. Even when they deserve nemesis, may us find in our heart room for Jesus’ compassion, mercy and grace.

[ayin jade]

From personal experience ....

I was glad that the killer of my brother in law was locked away, so that he would not hurt anyone else. I pray for his salvation whenever I think of him, which is fairly often.

[other one]

I am glad to see justice served as it is critical for our way of life to exist, however I do pray for the soul of those who are guilty.  It must be that way, however while I am not, in general, a criminal, I still would not be qualified to cast the first stone.

[Alive]

This is one of those where our own realization of the need for grace and mercy affects our behavior.

[Dennis1209]

I suspect this is one reason God gave laws and ordained human government, to restrain evil and punish unrighteousness. We see what humanity and civilization were like before the Ten Commandments. Before Noah’s flood:

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The Lord appointed Judges, but Israel was not satisfied; they wanted to be like the nations and have a monarch, a king, to rule them. The Lord granted them their wish. The rest, as they say, is history for the various global governance structures.

When a devastating wrong hits home and becomes personal, it seems human nature is to want and demand revenge, to take matters into your own hands.

The biblical concept and pattern are:

Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also…

From personal experience and observation, unforgiveness eats at your soul. It can cause worry, stress, emotional issues, illnesses, and even premature death. I was forgiven my sins, and we are to forgive others’ sins, no matter how grievous and personal. It can be hard, a bitter pill to swallow.

Before my conversion, it was not in me to forgive, and I wanted my revenge to be served cold and unrelenting.

In Galatians chapter five, we have the fruits of the Spirit to deal with those issues if we will use them. We have no right or justification for administering personal vengeance:

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

I now forgive, but that does not mean I forget.