Let’s turn to the book of Proverbs for a few words of encouragement for the fallen. Chapter 24:16 says, “A just [righteous] man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief [disaster].”
This is encouraging to me. “Seven” in Scripture, speaks of completeness. We might say that this man was a complete failure. He had repeated failures, yet for all his failures he is called “just,” or “righteous!” That might strike us as being a little strange. Usually, you don’t call someone who has failed so completely a righteous person, but I think he’s called that because he rose up after falling and sought to go on.
Now I’m not minimizing failure; sin is a serious thing to God, and it should be to us too. Rising again speaks of judging oneself and seeking fresh grace from the Lord to go on. He is righteous because he doesn’t give up and stay down. This shows that falling down doesn’t make you a failure—it’s staying down that does! Note: it says that “the wicked” man falls into disaster and he doesn’t rise out of it. He doesn’t have the will to judge himself and to rise out of his failure.
Perhaps you’ve fallen and you feel that you might as well give up. Oh friend, don’t do that! That’s what the devil wants you to do, but the Lord wants you to rise up and judge yourself and go on. The lie of the devil is that if you have fallen, you’ve gotten into things so far that you can’t be restored. That is what Cain thought. He said, “My iniquity is too great to be forgiven” (Gen. 4:1313And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. (Genesis 4:13) – margin). He thought that what he had done was too great to be forgiven and be restored, but it was not true. He had been listening to the devil. The Lord had said, “If thou doest not well, sin [a sin offering] lieth at the door” (Gen. 4:77If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7) – margin). There was a provision for his sin, serious as it was. The Lord had proven it with Cain’s father and mother—Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:2121Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)). I tell you again, to think that you can’t be restored is a lie of the devil. Don’t believe it. The Lord can “restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten” (Joel 2:2525And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)). He can turn your life around and make it a blessing in spite of your failures. He can put the pieces back together again. He has done it with thousands of His people.
David said, “The steps of a good man are ordered of the LORD: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand” (Psa. 37:23-2423The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23‑24)). Let that be an encouragement to you.
A Good Fall
You know, in a sense, there is such a thing as having a good fall! Now you might wonder what on earth that could be, but if you turn to Genesis 17:1-31And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, (Genesis 17:1‑3), you’ll read that Abraham had one of these good falls. He “fell on his face” before the Lord. That’s a good place to fall! It is the kind of fall that we all need to have. We need to fall down before the Lord and ask Him to keep us from falling into ways that would dishonour Him and hurt ourselves. A felt need and an expressed dependence are what we need to have when we soberly think of all the dangers around us.
We need to cast ourselves upon the Lord, and He will keep us. “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him” (Deut. 33:1212And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)). Those who don’t, will fall. Even those who are pretty sure of themselves won’t make it. Isaiah said, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall” (Isa. 40:3030Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (Isaiah 40:30)). It’s only those who “wait [rely] upon the LORD” who will be renewed in their strength. “They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa. 40:3131But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)).
The Lord has the power to keep us from falling, but we have to cast ourselves on Him. Jude 2424Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 24) says, “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” What a wonderful promise!
(Adapted)
B. Anstey
THREE YOUNG MEN WHO HAD A FALL—Why We Fall & How We Should Treat The Fallen
B. Anstey
First Printed Edition – June 2007
Printed Version – 1.0
Printed in Canada
First eBook Edition—May 2021
eBook Version – 1.0
Note: all Scriptures quoted are from either the King James Version (KJV)
or the J. N. Darby Translation, unless otherwise noted.
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