Another One Falls

My heart grieves as we hear that another person in a position of authority and leadership is disgraced by immorality. How many famous figures have we read or heard about in recent months who, seeming to have the world at their feet, suddenly have their lives implode, their influence destroyed? How has it become so commonplace? 

Even in the Church? I heard of another church leader this week who had stepped into immorality, only to be publicly humiliated and forced to step down from the position that had been entrusted to him. It breaks my heart.

And it breaks His Heart.

When those in positions of leadership and influence sin, the consequences ripple out far beyond those directly affected by that sin. The evil one rejoices because The Reputation of the Lord and His Body is diminished. When those who hold these positions of trust betray that trust, the damage is devastating.  The Body looks no different than the world. Shouldn't the lives of those called by His Name look different? How does it keep happening? Do we really believe we will be the ones who "get away with it," even when the sin of so many others has been brought to light? 

For God will bring every deed into judgment,
   including every hidden thing,    whether it is good or evil. 

Ecclesiastes 12:14 

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Luke 8:17

One of the reasons some of these leaders fall into immorality has to deal with the proper handling of Glory. A wise friend once explained the problem of Glory to me:

God is the only One to whom Glory belongs. He is the only One Who can handle it. He is the only One it will not destroy. It is ALL His! When we, who are made to reflect Glory back to Him, keep even a smidgen of what is rightfully His for ourselves, it brings destruction. When we keep Glory, it is as if we have painted a giant bull's-eye on our chests for the evil one to use in target practice. 

It is reminiscent of the sin of Achan.

Joshua 7 (This is a long passage, but worth reading if you don't remember the story.)

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel. 

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 

So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. 

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” 

The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 

“Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. 

“‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man.  Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’” 

Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen. (Don't you know Achan was shaking in his sandals?)

Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Glory is very appealing.)

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. 

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” 

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Whatever is devoted to the Lord must be given to Him.

Those in a position of leadership and authority are often tempted to keep the Glory that is offered to them by those they serve. This is especially true when the position they hold is a highly visible one. When they keep any of the Glory that is dedicated to the Lord, when all Glory and Praise is not deflected to Him, we are opening ourselves up to the attacks of the evil one. When we keep Glory, we are out from under the authority of God, making ourselves His equal. He will NOT be mocked. And when temptation comes, we are unable to stand under it because we are not protected by His covering.The Israelites were defeated because His protection was withdrawn. But He did it for their good, for their healing and restoration. He wanted His people to be purified before Him.

What is can be done? How can we help those who hold positions of leadership?

What is our responsibility as members of the Body to those in positions of leadership in the Body? 

We must hold them up in prayer. We must pray the Lord's Protection over them. We must pray that they deal with Glory in the appropriate manner. Think of Hur and Aaron as they held up Moses' arms during the battle. He needed their support. They understood their responsibility to assist him. We need to stand with them and help them through prayer. We need to have a burden for those in authority, to faithfully lift them up, to pray a hedge of protection around them so that those who would tempt them to sin are repulsed.

Please pray for those in your church who hold positions of leadership. The reputation of the Body needs to be restored for His Glory. The world needs to know we serve a Holy God and He sanctifies us for His work. Know that anyone of them can fall into temptation, as can each of us. The heart is deceitful above all things. May the Body stand united in prayer for those called to serve Him through leadership positions. May we faithfully serve them.