Ezekiel 32:10
“Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.”
A few years ago, I heard the tragic news that another, once powerful Christian leader, had fallen into sin. I was immediately reminded of a statement David made when he heard the news of King Saul’s death. He declared,
2 Samuel 1:19 “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!”
I began to ask myself, “How is it that the mighty fall?” As I pondeed the question, I realized that the mighty fall the same way that the rest of us fall. Once we take our eyes off of Jesus, we will begin to sink, just like Peter did after taking only a few steps on the waters of the Galilee. The key to staying upright is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.
Since Jesus no longer physically walks the earth, one of the key ways to keep our eyes on Him, is to read our Bibles and to do what it says. This was the downfall of King Saul. He had clearly heard from the Word of God what he was supposed to do, but time and time again, he refused. He refused to obey the command of God regarding the Amalekites, the sacrifices, and regarding David. It was not long before his heart had grown so hard he was no longer able to clearly identify the voice of the Lord. It was his willful disobedience that led to his downfall.
What we need to realize is, the same thing is true of every one of us. If Saul, later David, and many modern saints, who once battled successfully for the kingdom of heaven, have fallen in the battle, we should be terrified by the truth that this could happen to us as well. This terror should stir us to cling to Christ in daily obedience to His word.
Pastor Jim
Jim Gallagher 