God Is Not Through With You Yet
Jul 20118 |
“A bruised reed shall he not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench.”
Isaiah 42:3
THERE ARE MANY BELIEVERS who have failed God, but He has been able to restore them (Gal. 6:1) because they have repented and not stopped believing God. That does not mean that God overlooks or excuses sin, but that He forgives. Some examples from the Word of God are Samson and David.
Samson was one of the judges of the Israelites who helped deliver them from the control of the Philistines. He was born, miraculously, and raised as a Nazarite which symbolized his special relationship with God. The Spirit of the Lord moved him to kill a lion with his bare hands (Judg. 14:6), to kill 30 Philistines (Judg. 14:19), to slaughter many Philistines (15:8), and to kill a thousand with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:14-16).
However, Samson allowed himself to be manipulated by three ungodly women which caused him to lose his relationship with God and resulted in him being blinded, weakened, and enslaved. He was shown off and used like a farm animal to thresh grain, but God was not finished with him yet. God certainly did not condone his sin, and He allowed his failures, but there was still a spark of spiritual desire in his heart that God saw and continued to fan as Samson repented and drew closer to God. Eventually, God strengthened him so he could push down columns that were holding up the roof where 3,000 Philistine leaders were partying and mocking him. Their deaths were the greatest victory of Samson’s life in liberating Israel. He is honored in God’s faith hall of fame (Heb. 11:32).
David started out as a shepherd who believed God to help him kill a lion and a bear to protect his sheep, and then to kill Goliath to win a victory for Israel over the Philistines. He was a great musician and became the captain of Saul’s army. When Saul got jealous and tried to kill him several times, David fled.
After Saul died, David was anointed king of Judah, and seven years later, the king of all Israel. He brought back the ark of God to Jerusalem, solidified his kingdom, and wanted to build a temple to honor God. But then he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, and he tried to cover it up by having her husband killed. David repented and God forgave him, but he suffered the consequences of it the rest of his life. The baby died, Absalom, his own son, rebelled against him; God was dishonored, and there were continual wars. But God was not through with David. Although David was banished from his kingdom for more than 10 years, he was eventually restored as king and ruled for almost another 10 years.
Satan tries to frustrate and discourage believers so that they will give up and quit. But God has promised to never leave or forsake His children (Heb. 13:5) if they continue believing in who Christ is and what He did on Calvary, and repent of their sin.
Satan knows that if they leave God, they frustrate His grace (Gal. 2:21) and make the Cross of none effect (I Cor. 1:17)—like it never happened. But God’s message to believers who have sinned is that God is not through with them if they will keep trusting God. They cannot go back and change the past (Phil. 3:13), but from this point on, God has a perfect plan and purpose for their lives. Though the world—and much of the church—would throw them away and cast them aside, God will not break a bruised reed, and He will not quench a smoking flax (Isa. 42:3).
Next month, we’ll examine some other examples of people in the Bible who failed, but God did not forsake them as He still had a plan for their lives.
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