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Falling Short of the Mark:

When Journeys Fail to Reach Their Goals

By Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer

 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all claim that we have faithfully lived out and fulfilled every spiritual journey that God has called us to embrace? Faithful journeying sounds so simple. God prepares us for our journeys, he calls us to embrace their goals, he empowers us to make progress in actualizing them, we celebrate when we reach the journey destination, and we look forward to new challenges based on prior experiences (the 5 Endless Possibilities phases). Unfortunately, in the real world, many journeys do not conclude positively and many end before reaching their goals. What are we to make of these journey failures? Do they destroy any chance of remaining in God’s will and favor, or are they learning experiences?

 

Why Does a Journey Fail to Reach Its Goals?

When I was writing my doctoral dissertation (which was the precursor to Endless Possibilities) on spiritual journeying, the best piece of advice I received from my advisor was to include a chapter on the relationship between human sinfulness and journeying. This eventually evolved into chapter 5 of Endless Possibilities: When Spiritual Journeys Go Astray. The two main points of the chapter are:

1) Human sinfulness has the potential to de-rail our journeys by convincing us to act in ways that deny the key virtues or tasks of each phase (for example, by acting uncooperatively in phase 3).

2) Satan opposes our journeys in ways that also coincide with the main issues of each journey phase.

There are, however, additional considerations that should affect our expectations regarding reaching journey goals. First, sometimes prior journey experiences or recurring themes may conspire to make reaching a new journey goal impossible or improbable. Second, God sometimes calls us to faithfully embrace journeys that he knows will not reach a successful conclusion. Let’s look at these considerations further.

 

Building God’s Temple:

David is Not Permitted to Reach His Journey Goal

The curious story of David’s decision to build God a temple in Jerusalem is recorded four times (1 Chronicles 17, 22, 28, and 2 Chronicles 6). The first account indicates that David’s burden grew out of his conviction that the Jewish God should be glorified and honored at least as much as the Israelite king:

After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent." Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you." That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

"Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '

"Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

" `I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you: When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.' " (1 Chronicles 17:1-14)

Even though many interpret God’s response through Nathan as a rebuke of David, this is not the case. Although God does deny David the privilege of actually erecting the temple (for reasons not expressed here), he reaffirms his blessing on David kingship and family. Solomon will build the temple. David wants to build God a physical house, and God responds by stating that he will build David’s house by ensuring the continuance of his lineage. They will remain in power. David’s prayer response (1 Chronicles 17:16-27) and preparations for building the temple (1 Chronicles 22-26) clearly show that he took God’s response as a blessing and not as a rebuke.

David later reveals to Solomon why he was not permitted to take the journey to its conclusion:

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: `You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

"I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work in gold and silver, bronze and iron--craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the LORD be with you." (1 Chronicles 22:6-15)

It is not sin that keeps David from fulfilling his dream, but success! David has "shed much blood" in the many wars he has fought to establish Israel’s sovereignty and boundaries – wars fought under God’s direction and with his evident blessing (see 1 Chronicles 11-14, and 17:8 above). However, God wants the temple to be associated with peace rather than war. Accordingly, Solomon (whose name echoes the Hebrew word shalom) will complete the project that David has started. This same point is reaffirmed in chapter 28, where David addresses his officials:

King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, `You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.'

"Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my family, and from my father's sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. Of all my sons--and the LORD has given me many--he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. He said to me: `Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.' " (1 Chronicles 28:2-7)

David’s active participation in readying everything for the actual construction is summarized comprehensively in 1 Chronicles 28:8-18 (phase 3 of David’s journey). What is crucial for our purposes is his defense of all of his activity: "All this," David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan" (1 Chronicles 28:19). God’s guidance and revelation enabled David to continue the temple building journey. Having come to the end of the preparatory work, he then hands the journey over to Solomon and the people of Israel to complete:

David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing man skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command."

Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God--gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble--all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD?" (1 Chronicles 28:20-29:5)

When the work of constructing the temple was done, Solomon dedicates the project by reviewing the journey history – and recalling David’s pivotal role. Solomon recalls God saying that David "did well to have in his heart" the desire to build a temple for God:

Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever." While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, `Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name to be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be the leader over my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.'

"My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, `Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood--he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.' The LORD has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with the people of Israel." (2 Chronicles 6:1-11)

We can draw some conclusions from these four accounts. David’s burden to build a temple for God constituted a legitimate call, and he discerned it accurately (phase 2). He is allowed to play a significant role in preparing for the actual construction (phase 3). However, due to his previous journey themes (bloodshed and warfare), God did not wish him to bring the project to its ultimate conclusion (phase 4). This is not due to God’s judgment upon David or because of David’s sins (such as killing Uriah or having an affair with his wife), since God had blessed the wars he fought. It is simply due to the incompatibility between David’s journey themes (faithfully lived out) and the journey theme of the temple. And so Solomon is called to complete the journey.

 

Prophetic Ministry Ignored:

Isaiah’s Hearers Will Not Listen

Isaiah’s well-known call to prophetic ministry illustrates my second point – sometimes God calls us to pursue ministry goals that will not be achieved:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go and tell this people: " `Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. (Isaiah 6:8-12)

What a strange predicament Isaiah faces! He embraces the prophetic call that God extends, even though he learns that his words will fall on deaf ears. His faithful living out of his mission will result in failure, for the people will not accept or act on his inspired messages. Isaiah’s message calls for repentance and covenant renewal, but Israel will not give up its idolatrous tendencies and injustice (Isaiah 56:1; 58:6). His ministry will conclude (phase 4) when the people are judged and sent into exile. Why would God call Isaiah (or us) to embrace a journey that will not reach a positive fulfillment?

First, in a war, not every battle is won. Each battle that is fought contributes nonetheless to the ultimate victory. God’s struggle to redeem and restore Israel may not have succeeded in the eighth century B.C., but when the Messiah comes, Isaiah’s dream of a peaceful and prosperous Israel will be actualized (Isaiah 40:1-5; 49:8-13; 54:1-8). His prophecies, though ignored in his own time, have served as an inspiring vision of hope and assurance for countless generations. Isaiah may have failed to turn his contemporaries around, but his message has endured and is of everlasting significance. Isaiah 55:10-11 states this idea beautifully:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Second, Isaiah’s experience reminds us that we are not responsible for the reaction to our faithful journey service. Our faithfulness to God’s call and will is not contingent on others joining us, as Joshua so aptly stated (Joshua 24:15). In one sense, Isaiah’s journey was successful. He proclaimed the prophecies God gave to him and remained faithful to God throughout his life. Israel’s journey ended in failure despite his faithful witness, but that is not Isaiah’s fault.

Third, although Israel’s demise was not Isaiah’s fault, it was no doubt a source of considerable frustration to him. And if he was frustrated, how much more so was God dismayed by his people’s faithlessness? Isaiah is privileged to experience what is in the heart of God throughout the journey (Isaiah 50).

Fourth, Isaiah’s prophetic journey serves as harbinger of what will befall the Messiah. The suffering servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 experiences rejection just like Isaiah does, and the question that begins the 53rd chapter echoes God’s warning to Isaiah that his message would be ignored: "Who has believed our message and to whom has the am of the LORD been revealed?" And like Isaiah, the Messiah will be "despised and rejected by men" (Isaiah 53:3).

 

What Happens When a Journey Fails to Reach Its Goals?

There is no divine guarantee that every journey we embrace will reach its goal or be experienced in the fullest measure of its potential. The interplay between God’s will and human freedom is a great mystery, and so each journey requires faith and a willingness to risk as we face the future.

Our own propensity to sin can result in a journey that does not reach its goal (such as in the Exodus). When a mission level journey fails due to sin, ministry does not achieve all of the hoped-for results. The people of God do not fulfill their call to serve their community and world, and the people we serve are not transformed as deeply as we could have expected – or not as many people have been reached as should have been. When a redemptive level journey fails, our personal inner transformation (the journey of becoming more like Christ) is either delayed or experienced on a more superficial level than God intended.

When a journey fails to reach its goal because its theme is at odds with one’s recurring themes or prior experiences (as in David’s case), all is not lost. God will call another person to pick up where we have left off and fulfill the journey (in David’s case, Solomon). This scenario is actually quite common. One pastor takes a church to its next level after the previous pastor leaves. One generation responds to God’s call and journeys based on the experiences of a prior generation. This serial linking of people’s journeys is the tie that binds one generation to the next.

When a journey fails to reach its goal because those we are called to serve do not respond positively (as in Isaiah’s case), God uses the journey for future purposes. Its theme will be revisited and often expanded during the next appearance of the theme. Isaiah’s vision of messianic suffering and hope becomes a reality in Jesus’ journey centuries later. Also, the journey itself changes the prophet and deepens his relationship with God. A failed mission journey sets the stage for deep redemptive journey growth. No experience is wasted when God is in our lives!

 

Copyright (c) 2001 by Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer.  All rights reserved.  This article may be distributed for private use only.

For a description of the journey phases referred to in this devotion, go to the Journey Phases page.  Earlier articles can be accessed by clicking the buttons on the left.  

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