The grace of losing--Moses and Saban

We are so fortunate that Moses wasn't, and Saban isn't, perfect.  If they were, the results would be disastrous for them and for us.

I am so thankful that Moses didn't make it into the Promised Land.  At first glance, Moses' being kept out of the Promised Land for striking a rock seems grossly unfair.  At second glance, God's purposes become clear.  First, God was gracious to Moses.  The entry into the Promised Land was marked by war upon war.  Moses didn't have to endure this.  Moreover, eternity with God is obviously superior to the Promised Land even had there been no wars.

Second, God was gracious to the Jews.  If Moses had not sinned, Moses would be an exemplar--someone to whom the parents and preachers could point to urge the people to good works.  (It is noteworthy that many preachers and parents do so anyway--they point to David as an exemplar for defeating Goliath.  This is fallacious preaching given that only a few chapters later in the Bible David commits adultery and murder.)  We already are innately under the burden of perfection--thank goodness there is no human exemplar in the Bible to further burden us.  Furthermore, even though Moses had sinned, God still hid his body so that the people couldn't build a shrine and worship Moses.  God was protecting the Jewish people from the demand of being perfect and from idolatry.

So, thank goodness that Alabama lost to A&M.  This removes Saban as an improper exemplar, but makes him a proper exemplar.  A proper exemplar is one who is faulty, but who perseveres.  That is what we are called to do as humans, as Christians--to recognize that we are faulty and to persevere.  Sometimes, in fact always, it takes a loss to teach us this.