It is totally understandable that the destruction of the wicked would be a cause for rejoicing.
Liberty has come. Tyranny has been toppled. Captives have been liberated. Evil has taken a major blow.
Surely this is good news.
That’s why the Psalms often contain statements like this:
“Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13)
God’s judgment on the wicked means blessing and salvation and deliverance for His suffering people. That’s also why Proverbs teaches that,
“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.” (Proverbs 11:10)
There is a fitting “Amen” when the wicked are punished for their sins.
Yet there is another aspect to this that should be considered, and it is found in a rabbinic midrash (a unique rabbinic style of homiletical commentary).....
