Proverbs 24:15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: 16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
This passage of scripture teaches us that we should be resilient in Christ, because every single person who has entered into a covenant relationship with God is granted an indomitable spirit, that cannot be squelched or suppressed, except as we permit. The number seven in the Bible is representative of perfection, and therefore, if the christian is said to fall seven times, then it means that the bumps in the road which trip us up, should be used as stepping stones to climb to a higher round on Jacob's ladder, because with the Christian as well as with the Lexus, "The relentless pursuit of perfection" should be our motto.
During the time spent with Christ whilst He was on this earth, Peter made a series of blunders, some of which got him into trouble with the authorities, and even though he saw where his impulsive nature sometimes caused him to utter things on the spur of the moment, which apparently made no sense, yet he repeated the same mistakes on several different occasions. For example, when Jesus Christ was transfigured upon the mount, and Elijah and Moses came to visit Him, Peter was found "Answering" when no one had asked him a question, and the suggestion he then made could not really be taken seriously, for it was highly impractical by any stretch of the imagination. Let's read:
Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Again, when pressed by the scribes and pharisees about whether or not Jesus was paying the required temple tax, Peter impulsively responded that Christ did, even though there was not any verifiable evidence that this was indeed the case. On this occasion Jesus saw fit to offer a correction, for in his haste, Peter had inadvertently inferred that Jesus was not the Messiah, for He being The High Priest of God, was exempt from all such obligations, and therefore no one dared ask Him about any contributions that were required of mere mortals. However, true to His kind nature, Jesus acquiesced, albeit after a mild but candid remonstrance. Let's read:
Matthew 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
However, our first passage for today states that the righteous falleth seven times, and thus, in the life of Peter we are sure to observe great changes, in which his previous falls on account of his impulsiveness, will be channeled into doing great exploits for God, because as was stated before, the number seven represents perfection. This is the reason why on the day of Pentecost, it was the same impulsive peter, now girded with the full unction of The Holy Spirit, who will first stand up to speak, preaching one of the most soul-stirring sermons, and thus triggering conversions and baptisms which numbered in the thousands. Let's read:
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 16 "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh".... 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
In our own experiences, we too may have slipped up many times, and try as we might to shake the old habits and foibles, they keep coming back to haunt us, and in some instances we may have actually fallen, like Peter. It is at these times that we must remember our passage for today, because the number seven represents perfection, and if we stay the course with Christ, He will enable us to gain the victory, so that what was once considered our great weakness, will soon become our great strength, for God is able to make us stand, and we will, if we be resilient in and through Christ.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to be steadfast in our faith with Jesus, for He has promised to give power and might to those who are weak and faint, and by His grace we are more than conquerors. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!