How The Mighty Have Fallen

The theme for the 2010 session of Leadership Training for Christ is “The Rock.” It is a study in 2 Samuel which chronicles David’s rise to power as king of Israel. David’s up and down life finds its ballast in the God Who delivered him time and time again. The poetic soul of David captures not only his praise and gratitude for his God but his dependence when he writes, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation (2 Samuel 22:2,3).” David the victorious and David the tormented found refuge in God. Yahweh was his constant in a world mixed with valor and squalor. God has been and always will be the One Who makes sense out of the nonsense and the provider of promised justice. But God also holds all things together so we can endure present danger! It is God’s strength that sustains us, yet, what we know of ourselves is that as sure as God is rock we are ever shifting sand. Who among us is without skeletons in our closets? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You, me… David! That’s why I think the true song of 2 Samuel is David’s lament song he composed upon the death of Jonathan and Saul in the first chapter of this book. The repeated refrain of that song is, “How the mighty have fallen!” David eulogizes Jonathan and Saul’s mighty valor yet laments their ultimate fall. It is as the fallen that we discover grace and a righteousness not our own. It is as the fallen we reach for the safety of the Rock!

Could it be that when the mighty fall we are reminded once again that there is only one Who is truly mighty? It is He that exalts nations. It is He Who enables the weak to be strong, the weary to march on and the sick to be healed? It is our God who is the well of forgiveness that quenches the fallen soul! It is our God Who stabilizes the wobbly out of control spinning lives of those seeking refuge in Him.

Mankind’s greatest danger is not in the storm but in the calm when one thinks all is well. The mighty fall when their sense of might comes from themselves. This is more than “pride comes before a fall.” This is the baggage of free will… our right to choose includes the right to fail… the inevitable and inescapable fall! Our human reality is that we fail and we fall and fall and fall again. So, is all hopeless? No, because the fallen can land of the Rock! So, maybe LTC has the theme right after all… praise belongs to the Rock who lifts us higher than all! -DAN