Godly Sorrow

A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.

Proverbs 24:16

From time to time, we have all faced failure in our life.  But, God has perfect plans.  He works through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plans. Because we are imperfect, we must understand the reasons for failure and know what to do when we fail.

There are basically three reasons for failure:

Ø   FAILURE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Many people fail because they have an improper relationship with God. They may not have developed the proper spiritual foundations:

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.  Hebrews 6:1-3

When they try to build a work for God on a poor spiritual foundation, it collapses.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  Matthew 7:26

Some people get so busy doing "God's work" that they neglect prayer, Bible study, fasting, and seeking the Lord and His will. Others lose their first intense love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Instead of God and His Kingdom being the priority, cares and riches of the world, making money, or pleasing people begin to take first place in their lives.

King Uzziah is an example of a leader who failed because of his own relationship with God. King Uzziah started well. He sought the Lord . He did well in battles against Israel's enemies 

And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.  2 Chronicles 26:6-8 

But when King Uzziah became well known and prideful, he began to "act corruptly", was unfaithful to God, and no longer sought the Lord 

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God,   2 Chronicles 26:16

We must have close fellowship with God. Many people who have failed discover that their problem began with a failure in their own personal relationship with God.

Ø   FAILURE BY COMMISSION

"Failure by commission" means failure caused by our own sinful actions.  

Sins of "commission" include every wrong action, word, attitude or motive 

that is contrary to God. 

Such acts or sins of "commission" result in failure.  Adam and Eve committed a sin of commission.  They did not obey the commandment not to eat of a specific tree that was given to them by God.  (Genesis 2:16–17)

Ø   FAILURE BY OMISSION:

"Failure by omission" means failure caused by what should be but is not done. When we sin by "omission", we fail to do what we should do. The Bible says:

For to him that knoweth to do right and doeth it not it is sin.   James 4:17

Sins of "omission" are things the Word of God says we should do but which we fail to do. Jesus rebuked the religious people of His time for such "omissions". He said...

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not leave the other undone.   Matthew 23:23

However, the Bible contains many examples of great men who at some point in their lives failed as people:

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".

Moses: In anger, he struck the rock and called forth water instead of speaking to the rock as God directed. Yet the Bible says there has never been another prophet as great as Moses.

King 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".

Jonah: He went the opposite direction when God called him to preach in Ninevah. Later he preached the greatest revival in history. The whole city repented.

Joshua: This man was a great military commander who assumed leadership of the nation of Israel after the death of Moses. One of the challenges God gave Joshua was to lead Israel to claim their promised land. But at one point Joshua was so discouraged that he longed to be back on the other side of Jordan in the wilderness. At another time he was deceived by the Gibeonites. Yet this man is known as the greatest military commander and went on to conquer the land promised by God.

Elijah: A wicked queen named Jezebel sent a messenger to the prophet Elijah informing him she was planning to kill him. Elijah...

. . . went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.  1 Kings 19:4

Here was the great man of God who had healed the sick, raised the dead, and controlled elements of nature in the name of the Lord. Now he was hiding, fearful, despondent, and requesting to die. Yet Elijah returned to demonstrate God's power before the entire nation of Israel at Mt. Carmel.

Peter: This man denied Jesus three times, but later became a great leader in the early church.

Paul:  Apostle Paul also faced failure. He wrote once that due to experiences in Asia he was "pressed out of measure" and "despaired even of life".

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  2 Corinthians 1:8 

He expressed times when he was troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down 

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  2 Corinthians 4:8-9

He said he had fears and troubles 

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.   2 Corinthians 7:5-6 

But Apostle Paul successfully spread the gospel to the Gentiles; raising up great churches and people throughout the nations of the world.

The Bible also contains many examples of people whose lives ended in failure and defeat:

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

Uzziah: He became a king when he was 16 years old and as long as he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, he prospered. Uzziah sinned by entering the temple and performing duties which only the priests were permitted to do. God smote him with leprosy and he died.

King Saul: Saul was the first king of Israel, adored by the people, and a man upon whom the Spirit of God rested. Because of disobedience and lack of accountability, Saul was rejected by God and another king was selected to complete his task. Saul's life ended in failure, disgrace, and suicide.

Eli: He was originally a great priest in the house of the Lord. Because of his failure to correct the disobedience of his sons, Eli and his sons died in disgrace.

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.

So what made the difference?  Some of these people recovered from their failures and went on to be great men of God. Others never changed. Their lives ended in defeat. What made the difference?

To answer this question, we can examine the lives of two great people of the nation of Israel, the kings, David and Saul.

In our human reasoning, David's failure seems so much greater than that of Saul. Saul spared the enemy king's life and brought back some spoil from battle when God had directed him not to do so. David committed adultery with another man's wife. When it was discovered she was 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 went on to future successes? The answer is one word: Repentance along with Godly sorrow. 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, 30

Saul was caught in his sin and he admitted it. He was sorry, but only for being caught. Being sorry for sin is not enough. That sorrow must lead 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 recognized and admitted he had failed, but he blamed his failure on other people. He wanted the prophet, Samuel, to honor him before the people so he would not be disgraced. He wanted Samuel to worship God with him to show the people he was still a spiritual man.

Saul never confessed his sin to God, repented, nor 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. 

He saw the Kingdom not as God's Kingdom, but as a way to build his own empire.

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.

When the prophet Nathan confronted King David about his sin, he 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. King David's great prayer of repentance is recorded in Psalms 51. King 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. (Psalms 51:3-4, 10)

When confronted with failure, King 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.

Taking personal responsibility for our wrong deeds is vitally important.  

Jonah realized this while in the belly of a great fish.  Realizing that no matter what the sin or misdeed committed,  it is against God and it is to God that we first repent and seek forgiveness.  We cannot cover sins or misdeeds with good acts and not acknowledge and correct (when possible) our wrongs.

(Biblical Studies)

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