Gloating is not pretty!

 

Any time a Christian fails.......Someone is gloating!

Recently I was involved with a study of Pastoral Ethics and Character. We talked about many "fallen pastors." It greatly saddens me when I read about great pastors and scholars who have severely fallen away from their faith. One of my favorite evangelists was Ravi Zacharias. He provided such wisdom and insight. After his death, a floodgate of sexual misconduct was opened to the world. These revelations brought such great sadness to my heart. The non-Christian world gloated and used his sins to greatly degrade the cause of Christ. In politics, we love to see the OTHERSIDE exposed for wrongdoing. Social media is filled with gloating over other people's failures, especially when it involves the enemy!

So what does the Bible say about gloating

In Ezekiel 25 and 26, we read about God's response to the nations of Amon, Moab, Edom, Philistia and Tyre who were rejoicing in the fall of Jerusalem. 

"Son of man, Ture has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying, 'Ha! she who was the gateway to the rich trade routes to the east hs been broken, and I am the heir! Because she has been made desolate, I will become wealthy!' Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am your enemy, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the waves of the sea crashing against your shoreline. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down its towers. I will scrape away its soil and make it a bare rock!" (Ezekiel 26:2-4)

In the end, God will set the final judgment. God was the one who convicted Israel of her sins and destroyed his own people. But, he was not tolerating the gloating of the surrounding nations. We can never gloat over the failures of our enemies OR our brothers. As Romans 3:10 says, "None is righteous, no not one." Pointing the finger at someone else's sin is ridiculous because we all deserve to have fingers pointing at us. The Bible is clear about NOT gloating:

"Because of the violence you did to your close relatives Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever. When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel's enemies. You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.... The day is near when I will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you." (Obadiah 1: 10-12, 15)

We should never rejoice at someone else's misfortune, even our worst enemies. Gloating is not pretty! The saving grace and mercy of Jesus Christ should be extended to everyone we interact with. We cannot extend that grace and mercy while gloating at the same time!