The faith heroes of the Bible have one thing in common. They were obedient to God. But even these great heroes were still mere men. When they became too full of themselves, or too afraid, or took their eyes off of their God, then they stumbled. What does this teach us? Does it teach us that it's not that big a deal that I sin because, goodness, look at the great examples in the Bible who also sinned. No certainly not. It teaches us that we must at all times be aware of our need for our Savior, for our God, to navigate our walk with Him.
We All Fail Sometimes
Do we have heroes? Are their people who we look up to that we think have all the answers or seem to lead the perfect life? Perhaps you know a famous preacher or a politician or even your parents or family members who always seem to be walking close to God. But no matter who they are, they can and will fail at times. Maybe we won't see it but it will happen. We all fail sometimes.
Noah's Drunkenness
Noah was called "blameless in his generation" (Genesis 6:9) and yet after the flood he got drunk and lay naked in his tent. His son Ham saw his father naked and disrespected him. (We aren't told exactly how.) Noah's sin caused him to place a curse on Ham's child, Canaan. Many centuries later when Joshua entered the Promised Land the Canaanites were destroyed for their idolatry. If Noah had never gotten drunk this whole episode wouldn't have happened. The consequences of his actions were far reaching.
Abraham's Lack of Trust
Abraham obeyed God by leaving his home and traveling to a new land that God promised him. God promised him descendants like stars in the sky. But in Abraham, the father of all who believe (Romans 4:16), we see moments where he showed a lack of trust in God. He lied about his wife, Sarai saying she was his sister to the Pharoah and he took his handmaiden Hagar as his wife, thinking that he should hurry up God's promise as he and Sarai were getting too old to have children. The animosity between the descendants of Hagar's son, Ishmael and Sarah's son, Isaac continues to this day.
Moses' Disobedience
Moses was called the humblest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Raised in Pharaoh's household he murdered an Egyptian man and fled to Midian. Forty years later God called him to set His people free from slavery in Egypt. Many years later he brought water from a rock by striking it in anger (Numbers 20:7-11). This was not how God had instructed. That burst of anger cost him. God forbade him from entering the Promised Land. Sadly, Moses would die within sight of that land.
Aaron's Failure
Aaron, Moses' brother, helped make the golden calf that the Israelites worshipped in the desert. Aaron's life was very troubled after this. He would not enter the promised land and two of his four sons were destroyed when they disobeyed God.
David's Adultery and Murder
David was described as a man after God's own heart ( I Samuel 13:14). A mighty warrior and a great king, he began to believe that he could have anything he wanted, including another man's wife, Bathsheba, even if it meant having her husband killed. God told him that because of this sin he and Bathsheba's first-born son would die. He was also told that the sword would never depart from his house. Which indeed it sadly never did.
Jonah Runs From God
Jonah, one of the earliest prophets of God, thought the Ninevites, to whom God wanted him to share the message of repentance, weren't worthy enough; so Jonah attempted to run from God. Jonah ended up in the belly of a fish, contrite and willing to go where God wanted him to go.
Elijah Doubts God
Elijah, after his great victory defeating the prophets of Baal, ran and hid when he found out Queen Jezebel wanted him dead. He forgot for a moment who he served and who was always faithful. He had a moment of doubt that God would protect him. Poor Elijah thought he alone served God, but God informed him that there were 7,000 others who had also not bent the knee to Baal.
The Temptations of Men
These men who had been so obedient to God and had had some of the most amazing experiences with God, who had seen God's miracles, still made sinful choices. We may have have seen God work in our lives in marvelous ways, we may have done mighty deeds for God but that does not keep us from being a mortal human. A human who when tempted can't let their focus off of whom they serve.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 reminds us,
"Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins."
These sins are recorded so that we have a warning. Our prayer should be to become more aware of the pride that lies within us and the great need we have for humility. Where is our strength? In God alone. Without Him we can do nothing. We should be more understanding of the failures of others and more prayerful for our brothers and sisters in Christ who need strengthening.
Lessons to Learn
These men had failings but they repented of their sins. They were not habitual sinners. They did not continue in their sin. If we continue in sin our repentance isn't real. Sometimes their sins were punished almost immediately and sometimes there were long term consequences. There are lessons for each of us.
Has Someone Failed You?
Has someone you know and looked up to failed? Have they failed you? Don't be too harsh. All of us can be tempted and all of us sin. We may have been faithful followers of Christ for many years but that doesn't keep us from the temptation to do wrong, to make sinful decisions, to forget who it is we serve. If it can happen to these great examples of faith in the Bible certainly it could happen to us.
Have You Failed?
And if it is you that has failed, never forget we serve the One who is perfect, sinless, and without spot or blemish. We serve Jesus who loves us and forgives us when we repent and turn from our sin. We serve a risen Savior!
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
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