In 1 Samuel 31, the Bible tells us that a great battle occurred between Israel and the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. This battle led to the death of King Saul and the utter defeat of his son Jonathan. As Jonathan lay on the battle ground defeated, he asked an Amalekite sojourner to end his life. In what the Amalekite considered an act of mercy, he killed Jonathan and brought his crown to David to tell what he had done and why.
David was greatly distressed. He tore his clothes and mourned and wept for Jonathan. In 2 Samuel, David wails three times that now infamous phrase "How the mighty have fallen!" He exclaims in verse 27, "the weapons of war perished!"
Recently many mighty men have been slain by the enemy. My heart aches within me as I exclaim "How the mighty have fallen!". The president and CEO of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank Page, resigned recently amid reports of his moral failings involving an inappropriate relationship in his not-so-distant past.
Paige Patterson, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been forced to resign amid allegations that he demonstrated a lack of discretion with the reporting of a rape that occurred on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary between a female student and her assailant. Patterson encouraged her not to report the rape to the authorities and brought her before a board of his proteges to describe the assault in full detail, which, by her own testimony, essentially shamed her.
Yet another well respected seminary professor that I personally looked up to and who helped me with my doctoral work has recently resigned from the seminary and from his ministry in the local church with no details as to why he promptly exited ministry. The lack of details in this case is disturbing. He has made a short public statement saying that he has resigned but as for now and the foreseeable future, he will be saying nothing more out of respect for his family. Unfortunately, this lack of forthcoming information would lead me to believe he has done something that would bring shame to himself, his family, and ultimately the Kingdom. I have to confess that I do not know for sure that this is the case but the circumstances certainly point in that direction.
In times like these, God reminds me to take inventory of my own life. I realize that I am susceptible to falling because I am human. My humanity means that I am sinful. When we fall, the enemy gains a little more ground. We have given him more than enough to work with to bring destruction to us. We have got to take this battle seriously. Eternity hangs in the balance.
Men perish. We are fallen. The enemy loves nothing more than to bring the crowns of our mighty men to us to remind us just how easily we can be defeated. No matter how mighty the man, we must realize that the enemy is mightier. No man-made defenses will stand against the onslaught of our adversary. That is why we have been given weapons of war.
The prevailing weapons of war are Godly weapons. God's might is incomparable. Ephesians 6 describes these weapons. We have the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, Boots of Readiness that come from the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. These weapons of war WILL NOT PERISH! It is imperative that we all take advantage of this combat gear afforded to us before we, like many other mighty men, fall. El-Gibhor will not be defeated and if we take on His strength, power, and might, neither will we.
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