Can We Really Please God?

Have you ever read about people who are described in the Bible in glowing terms and said to yourself, 'I can't be like them!' You might reason, 'I'm not blameless or righteous, and I definitely don't always do what is right.'

The patriarch Job described as "blameless and upright." (Job 1:1) Lot was called a "righteous man."  (2 Peter 2:8) And David was said to do "what was right" in God's eyes.  (1 Kings 14:8) However, let us take a closer look at the lives of those Bible characters.  We will see that (1) they made mistakes, (2) we can learn much from their example, and (3) imperfect humans really can please God. 

THEY MADE MISTAKES

Job suffered a series of personal hardships that seemed unfair. He got the wrong idea, concluding that God did not care whether he kept his faith in Him or not.  (Job 9:20-22) Job was so convinced of his own righteousness that to others it sounded as though he were proclaiming himself more righteous than God. -Job 32:1, 2; 35:1, 2. 

Lot hesitated to make what have been a clear and simple decision. He was greatly distressed by  the gross immorality of the people living in Sodom and Gomorrah, even "tormenting his righteous soul" over their behavior. (2 Peter 2:8) God announced that he intended to destroy those wicked cities and gave Lot an opportunity to be rescued along with his family. You might imagine  that troubled Lot would be the first one to leave. At this crucial moment, though, he lingered.  The angels sent to rescue him and his family had to grab hold of their hands and take them out of the city to safety. -Genesis 19:15, 16.

David on one occasion showed a lack of self-control and committed adultery with another man's wife. Shockingly, in an attempt to cover it up, David has her husband killed.  (2 Samuel, chapter 11) The Bible says that what David did "was very displeasing to Jehovah." - 2 Samuel 11:27.

Job, Lot, and David all made mistakes, some very serious ones at that. But, as we will see, they were wholehearted in their desire to serve God obediently .  They were willing to show  that they were sorry and  to change their ways where needed.  Hence, God looked upon them with favor, and overall the Bible refers to them as faithful men. 

Next time: Can We Really Please God? - WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015