Starting Over

The New Year is upon us, and as usual we are all thinking about our resolutions for 2008. You know what I mean. We all make them; resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, be more faith in our spiritual disciplines, and many more. Unfortunately, we rarely keep them for more than a few days. Soon we are back to our old habits and our old problems. Things don’t change and we continue in the same rut. In time we get to the point we wish we could start all over. We have made such a mess of our lives that we want to forget about the past and start again without all the disappointments and guilt of our broken dreams and failures. Unfortunately, we can’t un-ring the bell. What is done is done. Or, is it?

The Scripture presents God as both holy and redemptive. In reality, he is a God of new beginnings. There are many examples of those who had failed in life beginning again with some tremendous results.

    Jonah failed God, but after he began again the entire city of Nineveh found God.
    The Book of Judges depicts a nation that began again seven times, each time God freed them from their failures and their oppressors.
    David committed adultery and murder, yet was able to begin again and lead the nation of Israel to both spiritual and political greatness
    Isaiah was a man of unclean lips, but God let him begin again and we have some of the most beautiful, inspiring,  and comforting words in the Scripture from those formerly unclean lips.
    Peter failed his Lord miserably by denying him and yet the Lord later said to him, "Feed my sheep," which is exactly what he did, beginning with the sermon on the Day of Pentecost in which about 3,000 souls were added to the kingdom.
    John the Baptist’s entire ministry was one preaching the message of beginning again.
    Jesus told Nicodemus that • he could be born again.
    Paul said that if anyone be in Christ he is a new creation.

So, yes, we can begin again, start over, be truly born again. It is what our faith in a redemptive God is all about. Now the question is, "How do I begin again?"

The story of the Prodigal Son is a great example of how God not only allows us to begin again, but longs for us to begin again. Remember the word ‘prodigal’ means wasteful rather than lost as so many assume. What he did was realize how far he had fallen and humbly returned to the loving father who awaited him with open arms. We have all heard the story in Sunday School and sermons, usually sermons about repentance. Yes, repentance that nasty word that requires me to do things I don’t want to do.

Aside from the testimony of the Scripture itself, the fact that we so often view the gracious, redemptive work of God as a burden to bear is the best evidence of the absolute depravity of the human heart. Repentance is not the only of God’s redemptive graces that often we view as burdensome—the law (obedience), tithing, self-denial, and the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and the Scripture are all great blessings that too often are treated as bad-tasting medicine rather than the life-giving miracles they are. How sad it is that because of our perverse hearts we do not see that repentance is truly an opportunity to begin again. Repentance is not a burden, it is liberation. It is leaving behind all the failures and guilt and moving toward the great "peace that passes all understanding" God promises those who seek him.

As for me, by the grace of the Almighty God I will be starting over again this year. There is a lot of stuff I want to leave behind—spiritual failures, missed opportunities, bitterness, selfishness, laziness, and just plain ol’ sinfulness. But more importantly, I am going to embrace the loving Father who makes it possible for me to begin again. Remember the story of the Prodigal? When he decided to repent to begin again he found his father was waiting for him with open arms. Paul the Apostle understood what it means to begin again. He who once persecuted believers began again and preached the message he once tried to destroy. Because of this great understanding, he said, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14

Thoreau, David, and Saul

Henry David Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” ‘Despair’ is, as we all know, a feeling of hopelessness, futility, and defeat. So, essentially Thoreau is saying that most are living hopeless, defeated lives. He was right. His famous statement is one of the most profound descriptions of the human condition ever written. Why is that so? Why are our lives so empty, so desperate, so hopelessly futile and defeated?

Psychologist and social commentators point to a variety of causes, most dealing with the evils of modern society, such as poverty, overcrowding, corporate greed, governmental indifference, and an infinite number of other causes. Unfortunately, these are really not the causes of our despair; they are the consequence or symptoms of our despair. Hope is both available and abundant without regard to any of the alleged causes of the evils of modern society. The Scripture says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . .” (1 Peter 1:3) A living hope. Not a dying despair. That is the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why then, do even Christians lead lives of quiet desperation? Frankly, my experience is that most believers lead lives of quiet  desperation. Why? It’s an issue of repentance. As an example, let’s look at two men, Saul and David. Saul’s story is found in 1 Samuel 13:1-14 and David’s in 2 Samuel 12:1-13. (To save space, I will not quote the passages.)

These passages are familiar to anyone who went to Sunday School. They teach some great truths about the human condition, but before we get to those, two points must be established. First, both Saul and David sinned. There is no question about that. Second, both Saul and David were God’s people. They were Hebrews, not pagans. Furthermore, they were chosen by God for leadership positions. This is important, as you will see.

Saul sinned by trying to manipulate the holy things of God for his own purposes. He had gathered an army to do battle with the Philistines, and while waiting for Samuel to arrive and offer a sacrifice before the battle, the volunteer soldiers became restless and some went home. When Saul saw that his army was shrinking he took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself so he could move on to the battle, which he saw as more important than the spiritual side of the conflict between God’s people and their enemies. Immediately after the “sacrifice” was made, Samuel showed up and rebuked Saul for his sin.

Saul’s sin was very basic. He was focused on himself and was afraid because he was losing control and did not have enough faith to let God be God. Because he focused on himself he forgot that God does not need great armies to defeat his enemies. After all, had God not defeated the Midianites with an army that he had reduced from 32,000 to a mere 300 men? Saul forgot the most basic of spiritual truths, and that is that God works in ways men cannot. “…‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) In short, Saul could not get his eyes off of himself and his situation. He did not act in faith and, therefore, God was not glorified. His sin was the sin of unbelief. Unbelief that God could and would redeem his people for God’s own glory.

David’s sin was similar and all too familiar. He, too, was focused on himself, and instead of being out doing battle where he should have been (see 2 Samuel 11:1), he was in his palace with nothing better to do than look around and get himself into trouble. David was not the first man to commit adultery, and he certainly was not the last. He wasn’t even the first to commit murder because he got a woman pregnant. He was, however, the “apple of God’s eye,” and his actions were offensive to his God. He knew the commandments. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. He did not take the issue of sin seriously.

Nathan has serious words for David. He said that David had “despised” the Word of the Lord. Not ignored, but despised the Word. Furthermore, he reminded David that it was God who had made David king, that it was God who had protected David from Saul, and that God had given David a responsibility to protect and lead his people rather than to violate and murder them.

The difference between these two men is not so much their sin as their response to their sin. Both were confronted by God’s prophet, Saul by Samuel and David by Nathan. Saul made excuses. He blamed the soldiers, saying they were leaving “me” (1 Samuel 13:11). Notice also the focus on self. He blamed God. After all, the Philistines were coming and God had done thing about it yet. He blamed Samuel because Samuel did not arrive at the time Saul thought he should.  Because he could not get his eyes off himself, he could not repent. David, on the other hand, did repent. He did not make excuses or argue. He recognized that he had sinned against God. He responded by fasting and prayer, seeking God’s face and his forgiveness. He wrote Psalm 51, that great psalm of repentance and restoration, based on his repentance and God’s merciful forgiveness.

God’s response to these two men is interesting. While most of us would say that David committed the more heinous of the two sins, God forgave and restored David, but did not forgive Saul. Furthermore, he took away not only Saul’s kingdom, but also his presence in Saul’s life. This may seem a bit strange to us, but it really makes perfect sense. David’s sin was not worse than Saul’s. Surely, David’s sin was an abomination, but so was Saul’s. Saul profaned the holy things of God for his own purpose. Saul proved that he could not lead God’s people because he did not follow God and did not seek God’s glory above all else. Then, instead of responding in repentance, he responded with arrogance and unbelief.

Both Saul and David suffered the consequences of their sin. In spite of God’s forgiveness, David’s child died and he suffered the violence from within his own house as Nathan prophesied. (2 Samuel 12:1-13) But, ultimately, he recovered. He continued as king and is recognized for his devotion to God. He died content and fulfilled. Saul did not. In fact, he died a crazy old man. After his sin and his failure to repent, God’s hand left him. He continued as King even though God had already anointed David as his successor. He became obsessed with David. He wanted David in his presence and yet he tried to kill him on more than one occasion. David, on the other hand, had the opportunity to kill Saul twice but did not. How sad that this man, once described as handsome and a head taller than everyone else, the man chosen as the first king of God’s people, died in such a pitiful state.

David’s repentance gave him great hope to continue living in spite of his sin and its earthly consequences. He was able to live victoriously and fulfill God’s purpose. Saul’s lack of repentance deprived him of all hope and the presence of God. Because he did not repent he could not live victoriously nor could he fulfill God’s purpose. He could only reflect on his defeat and rail against those around him.

So, Henry David Thoreau was right. Most do lead lives of quiet desperation. Why? Because they fail to repent. This is especially true of Christians. Remember, both Saul and David were God’s men. They were not pagans, but Saul’s failure to repent is a reminder to us of the need for repentance, especially among God’s people