Eli, who ruled over Israel, was a hopelessly incapable father who lost his sons to immorality—and to an untimely death. (1 Samuel 2, 4)
Saul, the first and powerful king of Israel, was apparently a psychotic with manic bursts of anger, episodes of deep depression and traces of paranoia, too. He committed suicide. (1 Samuel 16, 18, 19, 31)
David, the friend of God, concealed his adultery with a murder. (2 Samuel 11)
Solomon, the wisest man in the world, was arguably the world’s greatest sex addict with 1,000 sexual partners. (1 Kings 11)
With rare exception, all the kings that followed Solomon had mammoth issues in their lives.
Hosea, an incredibly forgiving man, grappled with the pain of a wife who could be described as a nymphomaniac.
The prophets, even as they spoke for God, struggled with impurity, depression, unfaithful spouses and broken families.
So what? Where’s the edification in the list of warped examples? Should we all just throw up our hands, conceding that people are typically a mess? Of course not. But there are some practical and productive takeaways from these patterns of dysfunction in the Bible.
Here are some takeaways:
1. God is unabashedly honest in his depiction of the human condition. We can likewise grapple with authenticity and frankness. The temptation to misrepresent ourselves and the pressure to put on a mask causes further damage. The Gospel invites us to come into and live in the light.
2. Dysfunction cannot be equated with our standing before God. Most of those listed above can be characterized as righteous—or at least people of faith as we see in Hebrews 11. Whether it be we ourselves or those we shepherd, it’s not so much what our issues are—it’s how we handle our issues. And even if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart. (1 John 3:20) Paul spent his energy struggling against sin and left the task of judging himself with God. (1 Corinthians 4:3)
3. Sin does indeed have consequences. Pain, brokenness, loss, even death, follow our bad choices. Hopefully our distaste for sin is driven by our gratitude and love for God. But if for no other reason, we should at least avoid it to escape the incredible pain that accompanies it. (Galatians 6:7)
4. We do not have to feel alone in our sufferings. We’ve been given a cloud of witnesses that can identify with how messy life can be. We can take heart because we can get through our challenges and one day be relieved of our striving against sin. (Hebrews 12:4)
5. There is most certainly grace to be had. It’s what the Gospel is all about. No one can unscramble scrambled eggs—except God. So let us take our scrambled lives to God who understands and has mercy. (Hebrews 4:16) This is what redemption is all about.
In light of the messy lives of the Bible, let me leave you with three questions:
1. Does your church have a culture that allows for authentic openness about messy lives?
2. Do you yourself sense the tender heart of God as you grapple with your own issues?
3. What can you do today to model a healthy posture toward the messes we face?
