Return to Right Standing With God

Oh, that my people had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my ways. 

Psalms 81:13

What happens when you fail to discern the will of God? Perhaps you deliberately disobey His voice. Perhaps you miss His direction through error or misunderstanding of Biblical principles. Maybe you act too quickly without His guidance. What should you do when you have tried and failed?

The Bible contains many examples of great leaders who at some point in their lives failed to listen to the voice of God and missed His will. Yet, these men who failed became great successes:

Abraham: He lied about Sarah being his wife for fear he would be killed and his wife taken from him. Yet he is called a man of faith and the friend of God.

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  James 2:23

Moses: He struck the rock and called forth water instead of speaking to it as God directed. Yet the Bible states there has never been another prophet as great as Moses.

 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,  Deuteronomy 34:10

David: He committed adultery with another man's wife, then had the man killed to try to cover his sin. Yet he was a great king and is called a man after God's own heart.

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.  1 Samuel 13:14

Jonah: This preacher went the opposite direction when God called him to speak in Nineveh. Later he preached the greatest revival in history. The whole city repented.

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.  Jonah 3:4-5

Peter: He denied Jesus, but later became a great leader in the early church.

The Bible also contains many examples of men who missed the will of God and their lives ended in failure and defeat:

Samson: He was an important judge in the nation of Israel and had great physical strength given him from God. He began to deliver Israel from the Philistine enemy. But through involvement with a heathen woman, Samson was taken captive and died while yet a prisoner of the enemy.

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.  Judges 16:30

Uziah: This king originally did what was right in the sight of the Lord and God made him prosper. But Uzziah sinned by entering the temple and performing duties which only the priests were permitted to do. He was stricken with leprosy and died.

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.   2 Chronicles 26:21

Saul: The first king of Israel, was a man adored by the people and fought many battles. Because of disobedience, Saul was rejected by God and another king was selected to complete his task. Saul's life ended in failure, disgrace, and suicide.

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.  1 Samuel 16:1

Eli: Originally a great priest in the house of the Lord, Eli and his sons died in disgrace because of disobedience.

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.  1 Samuel 4:18

Judas: Judas was a disciple of Jesus during His earthly ministry. He witnessed the great miracles of Jesus and heard His teachings. Yet he betrayed Jesus and ended his own life by suicide.

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  Matthew 27:5

These are several Biblical examples of men who at some point in their lives failed to discern God's will. Some of these men recovered from failure and went on to be great men of God. Others never reversed their direction. Their lives ended in failure. What made the difference?

To answer this question, let's examine in more detail the lives of two kings of Israel, David and Saul. First, read the account of David's departure from God's will in 2 Samuel 11-12. Then read the account of Saul's failure in 1 Samuel 15. David's failure appears so much greater than that of Saul. Saul simply brought back some oxen as spoil and spared a king from battle.  The problem here is that God had said everything was to be utterly destroyed.

David committed adultery with another man's wife. When she became pregnant he had her husband killed to try to cover the sin. Saul was rejected by God as king, yet David remained on the throne and was called a man after God's own heart. Why did one man's life end in failure while the other man went on to future successes?

How could Saul's sin be greater than David's?  When the prophet Samuel confronted Saul with his sin, Saul said:  

. . .I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Then he said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I worship the Lord thy God.  1 Samuel 15:24 and 30

Saul was caught in his sin and though he admitted it, he was sorry, but only for being caught. Being sorry for sin is not enough. He did not have godly sorrow which leads to repentance:  

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  2 Corinthians 7:10

Saul admitted he failed, but he blamed his failure on other people. He wanted Samuel to honor him before the leaders so he would not be disgraced. He wanted Samuel to worship God with him to show people he was still a spiritual man.  Not only that, Saul never confessed his sin to God, repented, and asked forgiveness. He refused to accept personal responsibility for his actions. He offered God worship when God wanted repentance. Saul was more concerned about his reputation among the people than his relationship with God. Because of this, Samuel told Saul:  

. . .The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.   1 Samuel 15:28

The kingdom was taken from Saul and given to David.

Now, here's the difference.  When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin, David immediately acknowledged: 

I have sinned against the Lord.  2 Samuel 12:13

He did not try to blame others. He did not blame Bathsheba. He admitted his failure and humbly repented before God.

David's great prayer of repentance is recorded in Psalms 51. David acknowledged his sin and asked forgiveness:

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. . . 

Create in me a clean heart O God; and renew a right spirit within me.   Portions of Psalms 51

Both Saul and David made wrong choices. When confronted with his sin, David repented and changed direction. Saul did not. He strayed farther from the will of God and his life ended in failure, defeat, and suicide.

When we have missed the will of God, there are Biblical guidelines which will enable us to return to the will of the Lord. To illustrate these guidelines read the example of Jonah.  You will see that all is not lost; you can make your way back and return to right-standing with God.

(Biblical Studies)

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