During the 1990s and into the start of the second millennium,
Mel Gibson was a household name and a guaranteed box office draw. Even though
he had had a history of alcoholism, Gibson seemed to have overcome his
addiction through his faith in Christ. In 2004, his biggest film to date was
released, “The Passion of Christ.” This film was co-written, co-produced, and
directed by Gibson and was the highest grossing R-rated film in the U.S.,
earning over $370 million. Gibson stated in more than one interview that the
reason he brought the execution of Christ to theaters was because during his
recovery from alcoholism and depression, he had focused on the passion of
Christ to find healing and hope. We collectively held our breaths to see what
great thing this man (who seemed to love God) might do next.
And then the shoe dropped. In 2006, Gibson was arrested on
DUI charges and spewed expletives and anti-Semitic remarks at the arresting
officer. In 2009, photos were released of Gibson and a well-known female
pianist who was not his wife caressing on a beach. This was shortly followed by
his wife filing for a divorce and winning an estimated $425 million in a very
expensive settlement. Things seemed to go from bad to worse, as his girlfriend
gave birth to a child and charged him with domestic assault and filed a
restraining order against Gibson. He has been disgraced in the media and rejected
by Hollywood; and I, for one, am wondering, “What happened?” How does someone
who seemed to be on fire for God, who was a significant player in creating such
an incredibly moving movie such as “The Passion of Christ” completely
self-destruct?
Asa became king of Judah upon the death of his father in 910
B.C. The first decade of his reign was spent in social reform and military
expansion. He fortified the cities of Judah and experienced a time of peace. He
had an army of 300,000 from Judah equipped with shields and spears; and 280,000
archers from Benjamin also stood ready for action. However, this army of brave
men was small in comparison to the Ethiopian army which attacked Judah ten
years after Asa took the throne. Zerah the Ethiopian led a military force
consisting of a million men and three hundred chariots. It was undeniably
superior to Judah’s. Yet, Asa was an honorable man who did right in the eyes of
the Lord. He called out to the Lord his God, realizing that such a multitude of
armed men was nothing for God. God struck the Ethiopians and gave Judah the
victory. It was truly a “David and Goliath” moment. Asa was blessed by God’s
spirit upon him and in the fifteenth year of his reign, rededicated the kingdom
to God. He required all the people to take an oath to seek God with all their
heart and soul. Twenty more years of peace followed. Asa’s kingdom flourished
and so did he, and all the people collectively held their breaths to see what
great thing this man who truly loved God might do next.
And then peace was threatened once again by Israel—a small army
compared to the Ethiopians; however, there was the king of Israel on the
threshold of Judah aggressively taking action against their nation. Asa
misappropriated funds from the temple and from his own treasury and sent them
on to Syria in an attempt to bribe the Syrian king to align with Judah rather
than Israel. He wanted to strike a treaty with a nation which was clearly an enemy.
It worked. Israel backed off. Yet, Syria escaped and would grow to be a thorn
in Judah’s side in the future. God sent Hanani the seer to Asa to let him know
the grave mistake he had made; but instead of humbling himself and confessing
his sin, Asa’s heart had grown hard. He had Hanani placed in prison and
oppressed those who dared to agree with God. Sometime later Asa became diseased
in his feet, but rather than turning to God, he once again turned to man. He
died shortly thereafter stubborn and far from reaching his full potential. Yet
again I find myself wondering, “What happened?”
How does a life so full of promise fall short of God’s purpose? How do
individuals so zealous for God and His work end up walking away with hardened
hearts?
It happens time and time again—Gibson and Asa are only two
instances of lives gone wrong. King Solomon has to be the most puzzling
example. He was the wisest man to ever live, and because Solomon had requested
wisdom from God rather than riches, God made him incredibly wealthy too. Under
Solomon’s rule, Israel reached the peak of her power and expanded from the
Euphrates river in the north to Egypt in the south—the largest it had ever
been. Solomon was a writer, architect,
and advisor. He composed 3,000 proverbs.
He built the Holy Temple. He advised the Queen of Sheba. The splendor of his
palace was incomparable. His throne was inlaid with ivory and overlaid with
gold. There were six steps leading up to the throne seat and a lion stood on
each side of the six steps. Lions also flanked both armrests. Nothing like it
had ever been created. Unfortunately, Solomon had many (and many is really an
understatement) foreign wives who led him astray. He began to follow their
pagan gods going as far as building a high place of worship for the Moab and
Ammonite gods. Adversaries were raised up against Israel. Solomon was warned
that his kingdom would be taken from his son. Only for David’s sake would
Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, be allowed to continue ruling one of the twelve tribes
of Israel. A man, who had literally had the world at his fingertips, lost it
all and died far from God. Again, why? How could someone so blessed with God’s
favor, who knew God so intimately, be led away by the temporal pleasures of
this world? However, the question that should be asked is, if someone who communicated with
God so personally and who probably had a better understanding of who God really
is can be led awry, what will keep me from going off course? How can I finish
strong and prevent my life from self-destructing?
