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DAVID &MANASSEH:Overcoming Failure

OOver the years I have learnedthat God has many ways tomake us into the people

He wants us to be. But it seemsthat His preferred method isthrough resistance. The greater the resistance, the greater thegrowth. What we see as obstaclesto achievement, God sees as opportunities for growth.Disappointment, loss, criticism,failure, humiliation, temptation,depression, loneliness, and moralfailure become the means by whichwe grow strong if we are “trained”by these forces, as the author ofHebrews would say (12:11).

This booklet is mainly aboutovercoming failure. We willexamine two Old Testament menwho failed miserably, David andManasseh, and see how God usedtheir failure to make them strong.We will discover that God wastesnothing in our lives—not evensin. David Roper

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Warren Morgan/WestlightScripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973,1978,1984by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved.This booklet is based on a portion of A Man To Match The Mountain by David Roper publishedby Discovery House Publishers, a non-profit affiliate of RBC Ministries.© 1996, 2004 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

Manasseh:Overcoming A Bad Start . . . . . . . . 2

David:Overcoming Lies Of Self-Protection . . 15

Overcoming Moral Failure . . . . . . 25

HP971 David & Manasseh 2col pp 2/8/06 3:39 PM Page 1

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

MANASSEH:Overcoming A Bad Start

IIt was New Year’s Day,1929. The University ofCalifornia at Berkeley

was playing Georgia Tech inthe Rose Bowl. Roy Riegels,a Cal defensive backrecovered a Georgia Techfumble, ran laterally acrossthe field, turned, and thenscampered 65 yards in thewrong direction—straighttoward Cal’s goal line. Oneof his own players tackledRiegels just before he wouldhave scored for GeorgiaTech. On the next play,Georgia Tech blocked the punt and scored.

From that day on,Riegels was saddled with the infamous name,“Wrong-way Riegels.” Foryears afterward wheneverhe was introduced, peoplewould exclaim, “Oh, yeah. I know who you are! You’rethe guy who ran the wrong

way in the Rose Bowl!” It may be that our

failures are not asconspicuous as Riegels’was, but we have our ownalternate routes and wrong-way runs. And we have thememories that accompanythem—recollections thatrise up to taunt us andhaunt us at 3 o’clock in the morning. There’s somuch of our past we wishwe could undo or redo—so much we wish we couldforget. If only we couldbegin again.

Louisa FletcherTarkington wrote for all of us when she mused:

I wish that there were some wonderful place

called the Land ofBeginning Again,

Where all our mistakes,and all our heartaches,

and all of our poor selfish griefs

could be dropped like ashabby old coat at the door,and never be put on again.

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There is such a place. It is found in the grace ofGod—a grace that not onlycompletely forgives our pastand puts it away, but uses it to make us better thanever before. “Even fromsin,” Augustine said, “God can draw good.”

MANASSEH’SGODLY HERITAGEManasseh was the son ofHezekiah, one of the fewkings of Judah who “didwhat was right in the eyesof the Lord” (2 Ki. 18:3).Israel’s historian tells us:

[Hezekiah] removed thehigh places, smashed thesacred stones, and cutdown the Asherah poles.He broke into pieces thebronze snake Moses hadmade, for up to that timethe Israelites had beenburning incense to it. (Itwas called Nehushtan.)Hezekiah trusted in theLord, the God of Israel.There was no one like

him among all the kingsof Judah, either beforehim or after him. He heldfast to the Lord and didnot cease to follow Him;he kept the commandsthe Lord had given Moses(2 Ki. 18:4-6).Hezekiah was responsible

for a historic spiritual revivalthat rejuvenated Judah. Hedid away with the idols that his father, Ahaz, hadworshiped, and he deliveredhis people from apostasy. He was helped greatly in hiswork of reformation by theprophetic ministries of Isaiahand Micah.

Hezekiah’s son Manassehascended to the throne whenhe was 12 years old andreigned for 10 years as co-regent with his father. Whenhe was 22, his father diedand the young king tookover the reins of government.He reigned 55 years—from697 to 642 BC—the longestrule in the history of bothJudah and Israel.

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Manasseh was blessedwith a godly father. He livedthrough a time of spiritualvitality and prosperity. Hewas tutored by the prophetsIsaiah and Micah. And hesaw the Lord miraculouslydeliver Jerusalem whileunder siege by theAssyrians (2 Ki. 19:35). Yet, he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps.

MANASSEH’SFAILURE OFLEADERSHIPScripture tells us thatManasseh “did evil in theeyes of the Lord, followingthe detestable practices ofthe nations the Lord haddriven out before theIsraelites” (2 Ki. 21:2).

The “nations” of whomthe author writes were thedepraved and disgustingCanaanites. Manassehoutdid them in his insanefrenzy to break every rule—a madness spelled out inthe following verses:

He rebuilt the high placeshis father Hezekiah haddestroyed; he also erectedaltars to Baal and madean Asherah pole, as Ahabking of Israel had done.He bowed down to all thestarry hosts and worshipedthem. He built altars in thetemple of the Lord, ofwhich the Lord had said,“In Jerusalem I will putMy Name.” In both courtsof the temple of the Lord,he built altars to all thestarry hosts. He sacrificedhis own son in the fire,practiced sorcery anddivination, and consultedmediums and spiritists. Hedid much evil in the eyesof the Lord, provokingHim to anger. He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it inthe temple . . . . Manassehled [Israel] astray, so thatthey did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before theIsraelites (2 Ki. 21:3-7,9).

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Manasseh’s sins arerecited here in an ascendingorder of deviance. First he“rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed.” Ahaz,Manasseh’s grandfather,had established “highplaces”—groves on the topof hills where the Asherahwas worshiped. Hezekiahhad torn them down (2 Ki. 18:4). Manasseh built them up again.

Then Manasseh “erectedaltars to Baal,” the chiefCanaanite deity, and madean Asherah pole as Ahab and Jezebel, Israel’sdiabolical duo, had done (1Ki. 16:33). The Asherah wereimages of a female deity, the consort of Baal, whorepresented the Canaanitegoddess of sex and fertility.The pillars erected in herhonor were evidently somesort of phallic symbols.

Manasseh worshiped thehosts of heaven and servedthem. He practiced astrology,

giving his devotion to thesun, the moon, the planets,and the stars (see also Jer.8:2; 19:13). He built altars toastral deities in the temple inJerusalem, where God hadsaid, “I will put My Name.”

He made his sons passthrough the fire—childsacrifice. According to thechronicler, “He sacrificedhis sons in the fire in theValley of Ben Hinnom.” He also “practiced sorcery,divination, and witchcraft,and consulted mediums andspiritists” (2 Chr. 33:6). TheHebrew text suggests thathe did more than consultthem, he “appointed” them.In other words, he gavethem court appointmentsand put them in his cabinet.

If this were not enough,this debauched monarchthen “took the carvedAsherah pole he had madeand put it in the temple.” He took the aforementionedpornographic post, dedicatedto everything ugly and

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obscene, and set it up in theHoly of Holies in the Lord’stemple.

Nowhere is there theslightest hint of the worshipof Yahweh. Manassehselected his pantheon fromthe cultures surroundingIsrael—from the Amorites,the Canaanites, thePhilistines, the Phoenicians—but there is not onereference to the God whohad revealed Himself toIsrael.

The historian concluded,“Manasseh led [Israel]astray, so that they did moreevil than the nations theLord had destroyed beforethe Israelites” (2 Ki. 21:9).

Understand what’s beingsaid here: Manasseh alonebore the responsibility forbringing an entire nationdown. What a legacy toleave behind!

And that’s not all. Thereis a footnote that is terriblein its implications:

Manasseh also shed so

much innocent blood thathe filled Jerusalem fromend to end—besides thesin that he had causedJudah to commit, so thatthey did evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Ki. 21:16).Manasseh silenced the

prophets with terrifyingfury. Josephus, the Jewishhistorian, reports thatManasseh “slew all therighteous men that wereamong the Hebrews, norwould he spare theprophets, for he every day slew some of them until Jerusalem wasoverflown with blood.”

There is a longstandingJewish tradition reported inthe Talmud that Manassehput his old teacher, Isaiah,in a log and sawed it in two. This is almost certainly the background of the statement in the book of Hebrews that at least one of God’sheroes was “sawn in two” (Heb. 11:37).

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THE REST OF THE STORY

As for the other events ofManasseh’s reign, and allhe did, including the sinhe committed, are theynot written in the book ofthe annals of the kings ofJudah? Manasseh restedwith his fathers and wasburied in his palacegarden, the garden ofUzza. And Amon his sonsucceeded him as king (2 Ki. 21:17-18).Here is an odd thing:

Manasseh thumbed hisnose at God for 55 years,indulged himself in everylustful passion, corruptedand ruined an entire nation,and God sat on His hands.

Or did He?Normally, we see

only one side of God—Hislongsuffering patience: “Helongs to be gracious” (Isa.30:18). But there is anotherside: His “strange work” of judgment.

The whole story is not

told in the books of Kings.The purpose of 1 and 2Kings is to trace the declineof Israel and Judah to theBabylonian exile and tosupply the reasons for that exile. The stories arenecessarily abridged. Thewriter dwells only on thosefacts that contribute to histheme. The account ofManasseh’s reign is resumed and supplementedin 2 Chronicles 33. Thepurpose of the chroniclerwas different. His theme wasthe restoration of the Davidicthrone. For this purpose he selected events thatcontributed to that motif andincluded a number of factsthat are omitted in Kings.

The first nine verses of 2Chronicles 33 are basicallya rewrite of 2 Kings 21:1-9with a few minor changes.Then a new story emerges:

The Lord spoke toManasseh and his people, but they paid noattention (2 Chr. 33:10).

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God’s judgment did notfall precipitously. It neverdoes. Theologian John Pipersays, “[God’s] anger mustbe released by a stiff safetylock, but His mercy has ahair trigger.” God loves ustoo much to let us go. Hepursues us—even into oursin and guilt—and pleadswith us to turn back.

An old Turkish proverbsays that God has “feet ofwool and hands of steel.”We may not hear Himcoming, but when He getsHis hands on us we cannotwriggle away. The flip side of the promise “I will neverleave you nor forsake you”(Josh. 1:5) is the pledge thatHe will never leave us alone.He will hound us, badger us, bother us, pester us, andheckle us until we give in.

God has many ways to deliver us from sin:sometimes by a drawing wefeel in our souls; sometimesby a word dropped by afriend; sometimes by an

incident related; orsometimes by a book, asermon, a chance meeting.In these ways God appealsto us to come back to Him.

I remember a student Imet at Stanford Universityyears ago. He was sitting ona bench in front of MemorialChurch reading a StanfordDaily. I sat down next tohim, and we began to talk.The conversation went welluntil it turned to the subjectof his relationship with God.

He leaped to his feet witha curse and stalked away.Then he stopped and turnedaround. “Forgive me,” he said. “I was raised in a Christian home. Myparents are Presbyterianmissionaries in Taiwan, butI’ve been running away fromGod all my life. Yet whereverI go someone wants to talkto me about God.”

More than anything,God wants us to give in toHis love. “Love surroundsus,” George MacDonald

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said, “seeking the smallestcrack by which it may enterin.” God waits tirelessly andloves relentlessly. But if wewill not have Him, He willlet us have our way and letus reap the consequencesof our resistance. But eventhis is for our good. It is theredemptive judgment ofGod. God knows that whenthe cold wind blows it mayturn our head around.

So the Lord broughtagainst them the armycommanders of the king of Assyria, who tookManasseh prisoner, put ahook in his nose, boundhim with bronze shacklesand took him to Babylon.In his distress he soughtthe favor of the Lord hisGod and humbled himselfgreatly before the God ofhis fathers. And when heprayed to Him, the Lordwas moved by his entreatyand listened to his plea; so He brought him backto Jerusalem and to his

kingdom. Then Manassehknew that the Lord is God(2 Chr. 33:11-12). The Assyrian king

mentioned here wasprobably Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib.Esarhaddon put a ring inManasseh’s nose, manacleson his hands and feet, andmarched him off to Babylon,where for 12 years helanguished in a dungeon. A ring in the nose was theAssyrian way of humiliatingconquered kings, a customclearly illustrated onAssyrian artifacts. Whatutter humiliation! Whatawful ruin! But all to bringManasseh home to God.

THE WAY BACKRecovery begins withshame. MacDonald wrote,“To be ashamed is a holyand blessed thing. Shame is shame only to those whowant to appear, not thosewho want to be. Shame isshame only to those who

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want to pass theirexamination, not to thosewho would get to the heartof things. . . . To be humblyashamed is to be plunged inthe cleansing bath of truth.”Humility and contrition arethe keys to the heart ofGod. Those are the keysManasseh used.

In his distress he soughtthe favor of the Lord hisGod and humbled himselfgreatly before the God ofhis fathers (2 Chr. 33:12).Josephus said that

Manasseh “esteemedhimself to be the cause of it all.” He accepted fullresponsibility for what hehad done—no denial, noexcuses, no justification, noblame-shifting, no specialpleading. Then Manasseh“humbled himself greatly.”

Our tendency to makeexcuses for ourselves comesfrom thinking that God willnever take us back unlesswe can minimize or explainaway our wrongdoing. But,

as C. S. Lewis observed,“Real forgiveness meanslooking steadily at the sin,that sin that is left overwithout any excuse, after all allowances have beenmade, and seeing it in all itshorror, dirt, meanness, andmalice, and neverthelessbeing wholly reconciled tothe one who has done it.That, and only that, isforgiveness; and that wecan always have from[God].”

Manasseh was notforsaken. Despite hismonstrous wickedness, theLord was still Manasseh’sGod. Although anger sweptacross God’s face, He neverturned away His eyes.

UNDYING LOVEIn Harriet Beecher Stowe’sUncle Tom’s Cabin, Tomlaments, “I’s wicked I is—mighty wicked. Anyhow Ican’t help it!” Sin is ournature. It’s how we makeour way through life—and

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we can’t help it. Yet ourrepeated failures do notchange God’s fundamentaldisposition toward us. If it’sour nature to sin, it’s Hisnature to save. Without thatunderstanding we couldnever survive our sin. Itwould only terrorize us anddrive us away from God.

We’d have grounds for that terror if God hadchosen us in the beginningbecause we were sowonderful. But since ouroriginal acceptance did not depend on anything in us, it cannot be undoneby anything in us now.Nothing in us deserved Hisfavor before our conversion;nothing in us merits itscontinuation.

God saved us becauseHe determined to do so. Hecreated us for Himself, andwithout that fellowship Hisheart aches in loneliness.That’s why Christ sufferedfor us—“the righteous forthe unrighteous, to bring

[us] to God” (1 Pet. 3:18).He will never give up. Heloves us too much to giveup. “He who began a goodwork in [us] will carry it onto completion” (Phil. 1:6).

We must accept God’sfull and free forgiveness, andthen forget ourselves. Thatwe are sinners is undeniablytrue. That we are forgivensinners is undeniable aswell. We must not dwell onour sinfulness. God’s heart is open to us. We must takewhat forgiveness we needand get on with life.

ENDING WELLThere is more. God not onlyforgives our sin, He uses it to make us better than everbefore. Consider Manasseh.He was released from prisonafter 12 years and restored tohis throne. Then he set outto strengthen his defenses:

When [Manasseh] prayedto Him, the Lord wasmoved by his entreatyand listened to his plea;

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so He brought him backto Jerusalem and to hiskingdom. Then Manassehknew that the Lord isGod. Afterward he rebuiltthe outer wall of the Cityof David, west of theGihon spring in thevalley, as far as theentrance of the Fish Gate and encircling thehill of Ophel; he alsomade it much higher. He stationed militarycommanders in all thefortified cities in Judah.He got rid of the foreigngods and removed theimage from the temple ofthe Lord, as well as allthe altars he had built onthe temple hill and inJerusalem; and he threwthem out of the city. Thenhe restored the altar ofthe Lord and sacrificedfellowship offerings andthank offerings on it, andtold Judah to serve theLord, the God of Israel (2 Chr. 33:13-16).

Manasseh destroyed hispagan gods and removedthe terrible idol he had setup in the house of the Lord.He hated his idols with asmuch fervor as he hadloved them before.

He repaired the altar of the Lord, which he hadbroken down. He sacrificedon it peace offerings andthank offerings to praiseGod for His deliverance. He used his power now toreform his people ratherthan to corrupt them.

This is what John theBaptist described as “fruitin keeping with repentance”(Mt. 3:8). True repentanceinvolves a fundamentalchange in our outlook andattitude. It is not meresorrow over sin. It is aradical reversal of ourthinking. It will manifestitself in a determined effortto strengthen ourselves inthose areas where we areweak and where we havefallen before. There will be

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a fierce determination toguard ourselves against sin.

True repentance willmean staying away from the company of a man orwoman whose influencecorrupts us. It will meanstaying out of situations in

which we’re inclined tostumble and fall. It willmean staying away frompolluting influences inmovies, books, magazines,and cyberspace. It will meanfinding another person tohold us accountable when

we travel, someone who willkeep us honest when we’reaway from home. Whateverit means, our waywardnesswill have made us strongerand better than ever before.Even from our sin God candraw good.

God gave Manasseh 20more years of rule. He got afresh and better start, andhe made the most of it. Hebecame one of the greatestkings of Judah, and for 22 years was a gloriousexample to Israel of God’sunimaginable grace. Godwill do the same for you.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?Manasseh’s name is takenfrom a Hebrew verb thatmeans “to forget.” That’sthe word God writes overManasseh’s past and ours—forgotten. “I will forgive[your] wickedness and willremember [your] sins nomore” (Jer. 31:34). OswaldChambers says, “Godforgets away our sins.”

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True repentanceinvolves a

fundamental changein our outlook andattitude. It is not

mere sorrow over sin.It is a radical reversal

of our thinking.



Jeffrey Dahmer comes to mind when sin of unforgivable proportionis considered. Dahmerconfessed to murdering 17young men, dismemberingsome, having sex with theircorpses, and eating parts oftheir bodies.

The media exposuresurrounding his crimesturned Dahmer into anational symbol of evil.After his bloody death atthe Columbia CorrectionalCenter in Wisconsin,everyone was convincedthat he was going straight tohell. One columnist uttereda fervent plea to the powersof darkness: “Take JeffreyDahmer, please.”

But as it turned out,Dahmer had begunattending Bible studies in prison. He subsequentlymade a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ andwas baptized. He foundforgiveness and peace. Hewas calm about his fate,

even after an inmateattempted to slit his throatduring a chapel service. If he was sincere, and itappears that he was, we willsee him one day in heaven.

Odd, isn’t it? But such isthe grace of God.

POSTSCRIPTDuring halftime of thatRose Bowl game in 1929,Riegels hid in a corner ofthe UCLA locker room witha towel over his head. Hiscoach, Nibbs Price, saidnothing to him and verylittle to the team.

Three minutes before thesecond half he said quietly,“The team that started thefirst half will start the secondhalf.” Riegels called out, “Ican’t, coach; I can’t go backin. I’ve humiliated the team,the school, myself. I can’t goback in.” “Get back in thegame, Riegels,” Price replied.“It’s only half over.”

What a coach! What a God!

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DAVID:Overcoming Lies Of Self-Protection

WWhen failing andsucceeding are at

issue, an incidentin David’s life comes tomind. It took place during a period when he and Saulwere playing a deadly gameof hide and seek. Saul,pursuing David and hisband of men in the Judeanwilderness, was bent onrunning him into the ground.

Saul was familiar with allDavid’s haunts and hidingplaces. David could run buthe knew he could not hide.He was weary and wornout. There seemed to be no end to his troubles.

The songs that areassigned to this period ofDavid’s life are sad songs.The overriding mood is oneof dreary depression anddespair.

Why, O Lord, do You

stand far off? Why do Youhide Yourself in times oftrouble? (Ps. 10:1).

How long, O Lord? Will You forget meforever? How long willYou hide Your face fromme? (Ps. 13:1).

My God, my God, whyhave You forsaken me?Why are You so far fromsaving me, so far from thewords of my groaning?(Ps. 22:1).

DAVID’SDANGEROUSDECISIONDavid had reached the endof his rope. He just couldn’ttake it anymore. So hethought to himself:

One of these days I will bedestroyed by the hand ofSaul. The best thing I cando is to escape to the landof the Philistines. ThenSaul will give up searchingfor me anywhere in Israel,and I will slip out of hishand (1 Sam. 27:1).

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In the past, David talkedto Gad or to one of his othercounselors. Or better yet, he “inquired of the Lord” (1 Sam. 23:2,4). But on thisoccasion, David didn’t askthe Lord or anyone else. Helooked at his circumstances,took counsel of his fears,and fled to Philistia. Underthe circumstances, hebelieved that was the bestthing for him to do.

The phrase translated“The best thing I can do isto escape” is put in a waythat suggests great haste: “I shall immediately escape.I will do it now!”

Decisions made whenwe’re down in the dumps oremotionally distraught areexceedingly perilous. We’remost vulnerable to badchoices when we’re in thatstate of mind—choices wewould never make if wewere on top of things. Whenwe’re down, we inevitablystumble into bad judgment.

I wonder how many

single people have decidedin a moment of wearinessthat they can’t handle the thought of perpetualloneliness, so they settle fora mate who makes life evenmore miserable for them? Iwonder how many men have walked away from goodjobs in a fit of momentaryfrustration and rage and nowfind themselves hopelesslyout of work or working insituations far less desirable?I wonder how many havegiven up on their marriageswhen they are at low ebband have lived to regret that decision? I wonder howmany men have walkedaway from fruitful ministriesbecause of weariness anddiscouragement?

Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century BasqueChristian, wrote a booktitled The Spiritual Exercises.He pointed out that thereare two conditions in theChristian life. One isconsolation, “When the

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soul is aroused to a love forits Creator and Lord. Whenfaith, hope, and charity, andinterior joy inspire the soulto peace and quiet in ourLord.” The other isdesolation, “When there isdarkness of soul, turmoil ofmind, a strong inclination toearthly things, restlessnessresulting from disturbances,and temptations leading toloss of faith. We findourselves apathetic, tepid,sad, and separated, as itwere, from our Lord.”

“In time of desolation,”he wrote, “one should nevermake a change, but standfirm and constant in theresolution and decisionwhich guided him the daybefore the desolation, or to the decision which heobserved in the precedingconsolation. For just as thegood spirit guides andconsoles us in consolation,so in desolation the evilspirit guides and counsels.Following the counsels of

this latter spirit, one cannever find the correct way to a right decision.”

He continued: “Although in desolation we should not change ourearlier resolutions, it will be very advantageous tointensify our activity againstdesolation. This can be doneby insisting more on prayer,meditation, examination,and confession.”

So we should wait andpray. David eventuallylearned to wait for God (Ps.5:3; 27:14; 33:20; 37:7,34;38:15). He should havewaited on this occasion, buthe had made up his mind.Given his circumstances,Philistia looked better thanthe shadow of God’sinvisible wings.

David and the sixhundred men with himleft and went over toAchish son of Maoch kingof Gath. David and hismen settled in Gath withAchish. Each man had his

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family with him, andDavid had his two wives:Ahinoam of Jezreel andAbigail of Carmel, thewidow of Nabal. WhenSaul was told that Davidhad fled to Gath, he nolonger searched for him (1 Sam. 27:2-4).

DAVID’SRESTLESSNESSDavid was safe in Gath,though increasingly uneasy. His movements were restricted. He had togive up his autonomy andindependence. He felt theneed to get away from theroyal city, so he askedAchish for another place tolive. It was a modest request:

David said to Achish, “If I have found favor inyour eyes, let a place beassigned to me in one ofthe country towns, that I may live there. Whyshould your servant livein the royal city withyou?” So on that day

Achish gave him Ziklag,and it has belonged to thekings of Judah ever since.David lived in Philistineterritory a year and fourmonths (27:5-7). At last David and his

band could settle down. Formonths their lives had beenfull of alarm and flight. Nowthey had a little corner ofpeace. Their children couldplay in safety. Old men andwomen could sit in the sun and chat. Men could work the fields instead ofsustaining themselves byraiding and looting.

David and his peoplelived in Ziklag unmolestedfor a time, and everythingseemed to be going welloutwardly. But this was abarren time in David’s walkwith God. He wrote nopoetry and sang no songs inZiklag. Israel’s sweet singerwas mute. David driftedsteadily away from the Lord.

But David’s drifting didnot result in personal failure

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alone—he also placed hisfriends in spiritual jeopardy.Philistia lay outside theinheritance of the Lord, theabiding place of the MostHigh. It was full of idols (2 Sam. 5:21).

As David drifted awayfrom God, he becameincreasingly restless—astate of mind that alwaysgets us in deep trouble.

DAVID’STERRORIZINGRAIDS

Now David and his menwent up and raided theGeshurites, the Girzites,and the Amalekites. (Fromancient times these peopleshad lived in the landextending to Shur andEgypt.) Whenever Davidattacked an area, he didnot leave a man or womanalive, but took sheep andcattle, donkeys andcamels, and clothes. Then he returned toAchish. When Achish

asked, “Where did you goraiding today?” Davidwould say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or“Against the Negev ofJerahmeel” or “Against theNegev of the Kenites.” Hedid not leave a man orwoman alive to be broughtto Gath, for he thought,“They might inform on usand say, ‘This is whatDavid did.’ ” And suchwas his practice as long as he lived in Philistineterritory. Achish trustedDavid and said to himself,“He has become so odiousto his people, the Israelites,that he will be my servantforever” (1 Sam. 27:8-12).David plundered and

looted village after villageand distributed the spoils to his kinsmen in Judah (1Sam. 30:26). But there is ajarring note in the narrative.David adopted a policy ofextermination—killing men,women, and children, lestthey inform on him. The

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verbs attacked, leave, andtook are what grammarianscall “frequentative verbs”describing habitual action.Extermination was his“policy,” as the Hebrew textdescribed it, “as long as helived in Philistine territory.”David ran in the fast lanefor 1 year and 4 months.

DAVID’S DECEITAs the king’s liege, Davidwas obliged to report on hisbattles and share some ofthe booty from his victories.Achish would ask him,“Where did you go raidingtoday?” David would lie,“I’ve been raiding Israelitesand their allies—theJerahmeelites and theKenites.”

David embarked on a course that demandedperpetual deceit. He had to keep lying to Achish, adeception utterly unworthyof his character. Achishaccepted David’s reports asevidence of his hatred for

Israel, thinking David hadalienated himself from hiscountrymen and was nowwholly in his service. “Hehas become so odious tohis people,” he said, “thathe will be my servantforever” (27:12).

That’s an interestingphrase: “He will be myservant forever.” David,God’s free spirit, had soldhimself to serve a paganking. “From wrong to wrongthe exasperated spiritproceeds,” T. S. Eliot said,“unless restored by thatrefining fire.”

DAVID’S MOMENTOF TRUTHThe Philistines gatheredtheir forces at Aphek to go to war against Israel.They were aware of thedisintegration of Saul’skingdom and had notedwith great satisfaction thegrowing number of mightymen who were abandoningSaul and identifying

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themselves with David and, presumably, with thePhilistine army.

The Philistines decided tostrike a final blow. So theygathered all their forces—along with David and hismercenaries—with the intentof assaulting Israel acrossthe plain of Esdraelon.David was obliged to followhis king into battle, thoughhe did so with a sinkingheart. He knew he must gointo battle against his owncountrymen, against Saulhis king, and againstJonathan his beloved friend.

It may be that at thispoint David’s heart beganto turn to God, asking Himto extricate him from themess he had contrived forhimself. If so, the Lordheard him.

F. B. Meyer has written,“If by your mistakes andsins you have reducedyourself into a false positionlike this, do not despair;hope still in God. Confess

and put away your sin, andhumble yourself before Himand He will arise to deliveryou. You may havedestroyed yourself, but inHim will be your help.”

A door of hope wasopened. On the eve of theencounter God intervened.The Philistines themselvesinsisted that David and hismen have no part in thebattle, so they turned withrelief to their homes inZiklag.

David and his menreached Ziklag on thethird day. Now theAmalekites had raided theNegev and Ziklag. Theyhad attacked Ziklag andburned it, and had takencaptive the women andall who were in it, bothyoung and old. Theykilled none of them, butcarried them off as theywent on their way. WhenDavid and his men cameto Ziklag, they found itdestroyed by fire and their

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wives and sons anddaughters taken captive.So David and his menwept aloud until they hadno strength left to weep(30:1-4).David and his men had

been on the road for 3 daysand were exhausted, eagerlyanticipating seeing theirwives and children. As theyneared Ziklag, they saw aplume of smoke on thehorizon and ran the last fewmiles to Ziklag to find thecity torched and theirwomen and little oneskidnapped. Instead ofhappy reunion, there waseerie silence and desolation.There were only a fewelderly men and women left to tell the story. Davidand his men wept until theycould weep no more.

David’s troops turnedand glared at him in angrysilence. There was talk oflynching him. David waspersonally responsible fortheir loss, and he knew it.

He should have left a fewmen to guard the city. Heshould have known. Hehad let his men down. Youcan imagine his terriblesense of isolation.

And then there was hisown personal loss. Therewas no hope, no humanprospect of redeeming thesituation. He could nevercatch the Amalekites. Theywere mounted on camelsand long gone. When wehave hope, we can endure.When we are robbed ofhope, life loses all itsmeaning.

David sensed therighteous judgment of God.His conscience awoke andbegan to speak. David hadbeen leading a double life—betraying Achish andraiding Philistine allies. He had massacred wholevillages and then had lied.Now his village and familywere gone. This was one ofthe darkest moments inDavid’s life.

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DAVID’SREPENTANCEDavid wept in misery anddespair. He wept until hecould weep no more. Aperfectly natural reaction.But the natural is fatal. “By sorrow of the heart thespirit is broken” the proverbsays (Prov. 15:13 NKJV).

David was greatlydistressed because the men were talking ofstoning him; each one wasbitter in spirit because ofhis sons and daughters.But David found strengthin the Lord his God (1 Sam. 30:6). “David was greatly

distressed,” but he “foundstrength in the Lord hisGod.” The Hebrew textreads, “He strengthenedhimself in the Lord.” That is one of the greatest linesin the Bible.

Once again, Davidreferred to God as his God!No doubt David’s men hadheard him say repeatedly,

“The Lord is my shepherd,my rock, my salvation.”Although David hadseriously compromisedGod’s name by his failure offaith and his torturous andtreacherous policies, theLord was still his God. And in the present crisis he could flee to the shelterof His wings.

God never refuses Hishelp, even when we havebrought ruin upon ourselves.Regardless of what we havedone, we must run to Himand take His strong hand.The man who can come toGod with the weight offailure on his mind and sayto Him, “You are my refuge,”is the man who understandsthe gracious heart of God.

David “strengthenedhimself in the Lord.” He must have gone back to God’s promises offorgiveness and restoration,which so often cheered himat other dark periods of hislife. He must have recalled

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the poems he wrote on other dark days like this thatreflected God’s faithfulness.He must have rememberedthat he had been in worsesituations than this and thatGod had greatly helped himin those times. Although his faith had been sorelytested, it had not beendisappointed. In this way he encouraged himself.

All around David wasfrustration and fear. ButGod was at hand, “An ever-present help introuble” (Ps. 46:1). Davidtook strength from God andbecame a center of peace.Remember Paul’s words,“Be men of courage; bestrong” (1 Cor. 16:13).

DAVID’S RECOVERYDavid, in the end,recovered everything the Amalekites had stolen,including his family (1 Sam.30:18-19). But not all ourfailures will turn out that

way. There are noguarantees in this life that we will get back thefamily, the business, thereputation we have lostthrough our foolishness.

We may reach the end of our years a long wayfrom our goals. We may beknown more for our failuresthan for our successes. We may not be powerful or prosperous. But if weaccept the disappointmentand let it draw us close toGod, we will find in timethat our failure has given usa deeper understanding ofHis love and grace. That isby far the better thing.

It requires enormousfaith to believe that ourfailures are for the greatergood. But it is true. Welearn far more fromdisappointment than we do from success. We cometo know God and His ways.The man who has neverfailed has never made that discovery.

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DAVID:OvercomingMoral Failure

IIkeep seeing my friendsfall. I wonder why theydo it. What causes a

man to trash his marriageand all he’s worked for, fora transient affair? TakeDavid, for example—Israel’sgreatest king, the “man afterGod’s own heart.” He fellfor Uriah’s pretty, youngwife, Bathsheba.

It happened “in the spring,at the time when kings go offto war” (2 Sam. 11:1). Thatspring, however, in fatallethargy, David’s energiesbecame focused elsewhere.“One evening David got upfrom his bed and walkedaround on the roof of thepalace” (v.2).

From there, he had a commanding view ofJerusalem and could lookdown into neighboringcourtyards. As he surveyedhis city, his eyes fell upon a

young woman taking a bath.The text says she was verybeautiful (v.2).

If the woman seemsimmodest, you mustremember there was noindoor plumbing in thosedays. Baths were normallytaken outdoors in enclosedcourtyards.

David was entranced! Hesent someone “to find outabout her” (v.3), whereupon,one of his friends tried todiscourage him. “Isn’t thisBathsheba, the daughter ofEliam and the wife of Uriahthe Hittite?” (v.3) he asked.She was a married woman—married in fact to Uriah, oneof David’s mighty men, amember of David’s exclusivebodyguard (23:39).

David, however, wouldnot be denied. He “sentmessengers to get her.” Onewrong thing led to anotherand “he slept with her. . . .Then she went back home.”Later, we’re told, She “sentword to David, saying, ‘I

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am pregnant’” (11:4-5).David knew he was in

big trouble! Bathsheba’shusband was engaged in thesiege of the Ammonite cityof Rabbah and would beaway for several months.Anyone could count to nine.In other lands kings werethe law, but not in Israel. Noone was above God’s Word.Adultery was serious sin.

But David, always a manof action, devised a plan toavert the consequences ofhis affair. He sent word toJoab to release Uriah fromhis command and send himto Jerusalem, ostensibly toreport on the war, but inreality to bring him home to Bathsheba. When the old warrior arrived, Davidlistened to his briefing andthen dismissed Uriah to hishome: “Go down to yourhouse and wash your feet”(v.8), he said with a twinklein his eye.

But Uriah “slept at theentrance to the palace with

all his master’s servants and did not go down to hishouse” (v.9). When Davidasked why he did not gohome, Uriah explained,“The ark and Israel andJudah are staying in tents,and my master Joab and mylord’s men are camping inthe open fields. How could Igo to my house to eat anddrink and lie with my wife?As surely as you live, I willnot do such a thing!” (v.11).

David replied, “‘Stay hereone more day, and tomorrowI will send you back.’ SoUriah remained in Jerusalemthat day and the next. AtDavid’s invitation, he ate anddrank with him, and Davidmade him drunk. But in theevening Uriah went out tosleep on his mat among hismaster’s servants; he did notgo home” (11:12-13).

Uriah would not go home while those under hiscommand were separatedfrom their wives andfamilies. Despite David’s

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repeated efforts to persuadeUriah, the stern old Hittiterefused. Even getting himdrunk failed. Each eveningUriah rolled out his sleepingbag on the floor of thepalace guardroom and sleptwith the rest of the troops.

Time was running out. In desperation David put acontract on his life, orderingGeneral Joab to “put Uriahin the front line where thefighting is fiercest. Thenwithdraw from him so hewill be struck down and die” (v.15).

Joab, who was no fool,refused to follow David’sdirective. The plan was soobviously treacherous thathe altered it: “While Joabhad the city under siege, heput Uriah at a place wherehe knew the strongestdefenders were. When themen of the city came outand fought against Joab,some of the men in David’sarmy fell; moreover, Uriahthe Hittite died” (vv.16-17).

Joab then sent a runner to David with a report on thebattle. He knew David wouldbe critical of his tactics andthe resultant loss of life, buthe hastened to report thatUriah had been killed (vv.18-22). David didn’t want Joabto be upset so he said, “Thesword devours one as well as another” (v.25).

When Bathsheba heardthat her husband was dead,she mourned for him. Whenher brief period of mourningwas over, David “had herbrought to his house, andshe became his wife andbore him a son” (vv.26-27).

David moved withinappropriate haste, butmarriage put a legal andfinal end to the sordidaffair—or so David thought.But God knew, and “thething David had donedispleased the Lord” (v.27).

A year passed, during which time Daviddeteriorated physically and emotionally. He later

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described his feelings:When I kept silent, my bones wasted awaythrough my groaning allday long. For day andnight Your hand washeavy upon me; mystrength was sapped as in the heat of summer (Ps. 32:3-4).His gnawing conscience

kept him restless andmelancholy. Every wakingmoment was filled withmisery. At night he tossedand turned. Anxiety sappedhis energy. His depressiondeepened with every passingday.

Eventually, David had to face the facts. To be moreprecise, he had to face theprophet Nathan, who knewthe truth. Nathan trapped theshepherd-king with a storyabout a rich man who hadvast flocks of sheep but whoseized another man’s petlamb to serve to a travelingstranger (2 Sam. 12:4).

David was enraged, and

at first he overreacted out ofmoral outrage: “As surely asthe Lord lives, the man whodid this deserves to die!” But sheepnapping was not a capital offense in Israel.According to Exodus 22:1, a thief was only required tomake fourfold restitution tothe victim. David then said,“He must pay for that lambfour times over, because hedid such a thing and had nopity” (v.5).

Nathan drove his verdicthome. “You are the man!This is what the Lord, theGod of Israel, says: ‘Ianointed you king overIsrael, and I delivered youfrom the hand of Saul. Igave your master’s house toyou, and your master’s wivesinto your arms. I gave youthe house of Israel andJudah. And if all this hadbeen too little, I would havegiven you even more. Whydid you despise the word ofthe Lord by doing what isevil in His eyes?” (12:7-9).

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When he was brought face to face with his corruption, David’sdefenses crumbled. Buryinghis face in his hands, hecried, “I have sinned againstthe Lord.” And Nathanreplied, “The Lord has takenaway your sin. You are notgoing to die” (v.13).

To David’s credit, he didnot try to justify himself. Heacknowledged his sin, andGod immediately canceledthe handwriting that wasagainst him. David could liftup his head. As he laterwrote:

I acknowledged my sin toYou and did not cover upmy iniquity. I said, “I willconfess my transgressionsto the Lord”—and Youforgave the guilt of my sin(Ps. 32:5).As the apostle John

promised, “If we confess[acknowledge] our sins, Heis faithful and just and willforgive us our sins and purifyus from all unrighteousness”

(1 Jn. 1:9). Happiness isknowing that our sins havebeen forgiven.

Blessed [happy] is hewhose transgressions areforgiven, whose sins arecovered. Blessed [happy]is the man whose sin theLord does not countagainst him and in whose spirit is no deceit (Ps. 32:1-2). David bore terrible

consequences for his sin.Nathan predicted that hewould suffer:

The sword will neverdepart from your house,because you despised Meand took the wife of Uriahthe Hittite to be your own.This is what the Lordsays: “Out of your ownhousehold I am going tobring calamity upon you.Before your very eyes I willtake your wives and givethem to one who is closeto you, and he will liewith your wives in broaddaylight. You did it in

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secret, but I will do thisthing in broad daylightbefore all Israel. . . .Because by doing this you have made theenemies of the Lord showutter contempt, the sonborn to you will die” (2 Sam. 12:10-12,14).David paid dearly for his

few moments of pleasure.His family life and politicalcareer came apart at theseams from that time on. Allthat Nathan had predictedcame true.

God cannot be mocked. Aman reaps what he sows(Gal. 6:7). But David could rise

from his fall to walk withGod. “No amount of fallswill really undo us,” wroteC. S. Lewis, “if we keeppicking ourselves up eachtime. We shall of course bevery muddy and tatteredchildren by the time wereach home. . . . The onlyfatal thing is to lose one’stemper and give up.”

THE LAW OFINEVITABLESEQUENCEReading David’s story andwatching my friends fall hasled me to one conclusion:Moral collapse is rarely ablowout; it’s more like aslow leak—the result of athousand small indulgences.Very few people plan anadulterous affair; theytransition into it.

It begins with attraction.It’s not lust as much asinfatuation that brings usdown. We’re drawn tosomeone sensitive andunderstanding, someonewho listens and seems tocare. We’re seduced by that attraction and led on by subtle degrees.

Attraction becomesfantasy: We imagineourselves with that personand the feeling is good.Fictionalized affairs alwaysseem so right. That’s theirfundamental deception.

The fantasies soften us, 30



and our convictions erode.We’re then in a frame ofmind to listen to ourlongings, and havinglistened we have no willto resist. We cannot

escape the realization of our predominant thoughts.

Then there are themeetings and the sharing of inner conflict, maritaldisappointment, and otherdeep hurts. And with thatsharing, the relationshipbegins to shift. We’resuddenly two lonely peoplein need of one another’s love.

Then comes theinevitable yielding, andwith that yielding the needto justify the affair. We can’tlive with the dissonance.We have to rationalize our behavior by blamingsomeone or somethingelse—the pressures of ourbusiness or the limitationsof our spouses. Others’wrongdoing becomes ourreason. Everything must be made to look good.

But our hearts know.There are moments whenour wills soften and we longto set things right. If we donot then listen to our hearts,there comes a metallichardening, and thencorruption. Our wrongdoingmutates, altering its formand quality, evolving intodark narcissism andhorrifying cruelty. We don’tcare who gets hurt as longas we get what we want.

And finally there isinevitable disclosure. Firstwe deny: “There’s no oneelse!” Then we dissemble:“It’s only platonic.” Andfinally our deception is shouted from thehousetops. There’s no placeto hide from the light.

When our seams havebeen opened and our evildeeds have been exposed,God reminds us of His cross,His forgiveness, and Hisincomparable grace. ThenHe begins to make us new.But there’s only one way to

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know that forgiveness:acknowledgment of theawfulness of one’s sin andthat old-fashioned word,repentance. We must hatewhat we’ve done, and turnfrom it in disgust.

That’s what Paul calls“godly sorrow [that] bringsrepentance that leads tosalvation and leaves noregret” (2 Cor. 7:10). Ungodlysorrow is the sorrow of beingfound out, or of suffering theconsequences of being foundout. The result is intensifiedguilt, anxiety, andhopelessness. Godly sorrow,on the other hand, is sorrowover sin itself and the harmthat it’s done to others. Godlysorrow asserts itself to setthings right.

Here’s the way Paul put it: “See what this godlysorrow has produced in you:what earnestness [to obey],what eagerness to clearyourselves [of wrongdoing],what indignation [againstevil], what alarm [that we

might fall into sin again],what longing [for purity],what concern [for all thosedamaged by our sin], whatreadiness to see justice[righteousness] done” (2 Cor. 7:11).

As David himself learned,“The sacrifices of God are abroken spirit; a broken andcontrite heart, O God, Youwill not despise” (Ps. 51:17).God discerns the possibilitieseven in our defilement,forgives our sins, counteractsour mistakes, and sets out tomake us better than we’veever been before.

Therefore, rather thanmourn our humiliation, wemust move on. Sin may haveconsequences with which we must live for the rest ofour natural lives, but sinrepented of can only workfor ultimate good. God takesthe worst that we can do andmakes it part of the good Hehas promised. He’s the Godof fools and failures and theGod of another chance.

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