It is not said of the Mighty that they fail, it is said that they fall. The difference? The Mighty can honorably fail, but when they fall, it is a fall from grace, and that has consequences for both the Mighty and the un-Mighty alike.
Upon hearing of the death of Saul and Jonathan, David, who despite being in hiding for his life from Saul, tore his clothes and lamented for the nation, “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished.” (2 Samuel 1:27). David was not referring to Saul’s defeat by the Philistines—that failure actually benefited David, because it was with the Philistines that he was hiding. No, David was referring to the consequence of Saul’s fall from grace that preceded his failure in battle. Saul had fallen by his disobedience in sparing the king of the Amalekites and allowing the Israelite army to plunder the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle; both in direct contradiction to the Lord’s commands. Saul’s excuse: fear of the people. (1 Samuel 15:24). Or, put another way, insufficient fear of the Lord—insufficient faith. A fatal flaw in a leader that had repercussions for the entire nation of Israel.
Today we generally intertwine the fail with the fall and take little heed of the effect the latter has on our nation. For example, in focusing on Tiger Woods’s failure to win a golf tournament this year, we un-focus on his fall from grace. I am not suggesting that God is punishing Tiger for his sins by not letting him win this year. I do not believe that is the way God works. No, what I am saying is that in lamenting Tiger’s lack of victories this season we give insufficient attention to how his disobedience has blunted the effect the Lord intended when He gave Tiger his wonderful gift. God made Tiger Woods for a purpose. Tiger’s fall has silenced the weapon the Lord gave him for the fight we together face in this fallen world.
I believe in redemption. But for now, I tear my clothes and lament Tiger’s fall. His failure to win is his alone. His fall is ours.
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