The LORD really does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, and would be pleased if everyone would turn to Him in faith.

But that desire is overridden by the desire to have His attributes of justice and wrath given their full scope, and for that to happen, not everyone can be saved.

I think of it as being similar to an author who creates a character, writes a story in which the character dies, and cries with grief when writing it. To the author the character is real, and the grief felt because of the character's demise is real; the fact the author is the sole creator of both the character and the events surrounding him or her doesn't mitigate the emotional response.

If there had been some way for the LORD to express His justice and wrath without creating sentient beings who hate Him and will be ultimately damned, He'd have done it.

But even for a totally sovereign Creator, there are some things He cannot have, and that's one of 'em.

__________________
Anne Ivy
Christ Chapel Bible Church
Fort Worth, Texas

Married to Don, mother of six, grandmother to an ever-increasing brood.

The Ivy Vine (my blog)