The Triumphs and Failings of Heroes

Many ancient myths tell of great heroes and their incredible, magnificent feats – overcoming fierce beasts, romancing beautiful women, being betrayed by sneaky villains, dying heroic deaths against impossible odds, and becoming figures of legend and inspiration to the civilizations and peoples telling their tales. These stories are factually untrue, but they reveal certain truths about the culture and worldview of the storytellers. Such myths do not tell of events that actually happened in history, but they do speak implicitly regarding the minds and imaginations of real historical peoples.

Such ancient myths often also extol immorality, adultery, lust, idolatry, and other egregious sins. The Epic of Gilgamesh is spattered throughout with images of harlots and lust. Others are filled with battles of violence for violence’s sake, and other “heroic” deeds that reveal the storyteller’s own concepts of heroism. The heroes are perfect by their own standard and by the standard of those who tell their stories – they revel in great deeds that are in reality sinful deeds, taking joy in so-called triumphs of the flesh that are truly defeats of the spirit. These myths reveal the paganism and immorality of ancient civilizations.

These stories can be compared to the historical, true stories of the Old Testament. We hear of amazing feats accomplished in the Old Testament era. David, a mere boy, kills a giant who strikes fear into an entire army. Noah escapes a cataclysmic flood in a giant boat. Moses is an exiled prince who returns to Egypt to save his people from tyranny and slavery. Abraham is a wandering lord who awaits the promises of a bountiful land and a great kingdom – who fights battles and wins against the odds, intercedes for cities, and shows his faith in the ultimate test. Yet, these stories, for all their magnificence, are different from the other stories of the ancient world.

How so?

The heroes in Old Testament stories don’t always triumph. Sometimes they fail.

Consider Noah. This was a man who alone, out of all the men in the earth, found favor in the eyes of God. He had the faith to work for about a hundred years on a boat, anticipating a worldwide flood, based on God’s revealed word. Right after what seems to be Noah’s great triumph, we read that –

Noah gets drunk.

How about Abraham? By faith he follows God’s call out into the wilderness, and then into Canaan. He reveals himself to be a man of faith and wisdom and understanding when he takes Isaac onto Mount Moriah, passing the test that God set for him. In between these great, inspiring stories, we read that –

Abraham tried to pass his wife off as his sister and nearly let another man sleep with her and contaminate the promised line. And he made this mistake twice.

How about Moses? He disobeyed God and was not allowed to enter Canaan. How about David? He slept with another man’s wife and then had the man sent into battle to die. He also caused a census to occur which was against God’s will and resulted in much strife.

Time and time again we read about these great heroes of the faith, and they fail. They fail.

What is the significance of this?

First, the fact that these men are shown to fail so often adds credence to the historical accuracy of the text. This wasn’t some overly biased account or a mere myth. Otherwise, all of these shortcomings, sins, and failures would have been omitted from the stories. The fact that these events are present show that the authors of the Old Testament books were deeply concerned with telling the whole story – failures and triumphs both.

Second, these failures remind us that these great men of faith were sinful human beings, affected by the Fall. Those times when the men triumphed? It was not by their own epic strength or heroic prowess. It was through the grace and might of Almighty God. By the grace of God, Noah was saved from the flood. By the grace of God, Abraham was brought to Canaan and made the father of many nations. By the grace of God, Moses brought his people out of Egypt. By the grace of God, David defeated Goliath.

The failings of these great men of faith show us that behind the triumphs, working in the story, permeating and filling the story, is the grace and power of God. These failings remind us that men are imperfect sinners, but God is a sovereign, good God. Even when these men fail, God acts justly in the situation, sometimes delivering them from their failures, while at other times there are consequences. These failures remind us that the successes of these men came about not through their own strength, but through God’s grace.

Great men? They are men of God. They are great because the God they serve is great, and he has shown them His grace. That is why, when they triumph, the glory ultimately goes to Him.