For Better or Worse

For Better or Worse

by Grant Gaines

I believe everyone is some sort of a stumbling block to others. In my opinion, even Jesus was a stumbling block to His followers during His time on earth. Now before you pick up your pitchforks and torches, hear me out on this idea. Everyone is a stumbling block in some way because there are two types of stumbling blocks.

The first type of stumbling block is the type that most people will typically think of when they hear the word “stumbling block”. It is the stumbling block that causes others to fall into sin and away from the Lord. It is the type of stumbling block the apostle Paul commonly refers to in the New Testament. For example Romans 14:13 (NIV), “…make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”).  Nobody wants to be that type of stumbling block.

So what type of stumbling block would you wantto be? Glad you asked. Like I said earlier, there are two types of stumbling blocks. A bad stumbling block (the one described above) and a good stumbling block. Someone who is a good stumbling block stands in the way of others when they are going down the wrong path. A good stumbling block, “…speaks the truth in love…” (Eph. 4:15, NIV) to others so they may see their folly before their recklessness overtakes them. This is the type of stumbling block Jesus was. And this is the type of stumbling block we should all try to be.

Throughout the Bible we see many examples of both good and bad stumbling blocks, but I want to zoom in on two specific stories to highlight this idea.

First, let’s look at the story from Genesis 3. In Genesis 3, we read the story of The Fall of Man. As you remember, Satan deceives Eve and convinces her to eat fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat from (Gen. 3:1-6). Then Eve gives Adam the fruit, and Adam eats it as well.

When I was younger I always envisioned Eve eating the forbidden fruit and then having to go find Adam, who I presumed was across The Garden of Eden doing something productive. However, when you read the story carefully, the whereabouts of Adam are made known clear to us. Genesis 3:6 (NIV) tells us, “When [Eve] saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye…she took some and ate it. She also gave some to [Adam], who was with her, and he ate it.” Adam was where!? He was standing right next to his wife the whole time while she was being tempted!

This is a perfect example of a bad stumbling block. Adam could have and should have done many things in that situation that would have kept both he and Eve safe from sin. But instead, he just stood there oblivious to what was going on. I can’t help but wonder how different the world would be today if only Adam would have had the courage to protect Eve from sinning before she took that first bite.

Adam was in the right place at the right time but failed to take the right action.

But just one book later in the Old Testament, we read about a good stumbling block which helped save a nation. In Exodus 17 the Israelites had recently experienced a miracle when God parted the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land and were now on their way to the Promise Land. However, along the way they ran into the Amalekites who waged war against the Israelites. While Israel’s commander, Joshua, was engaged in physical battle, Israel’s leader, Moses, was on the mountain above them waging a spiritual war through prayer. Exodus 17:11 (NIV) describes the event saying, “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” That’s some powerful prayer!

So Moses continued to pray and lift his hands to the Lord for help, but as you can imagine, his arms began to get very heavy as the battle raged on. Fortunately for Moses and the Israelites, Moses had some good stumbling blocks at his side. “Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.” (Exodus 17:12, NLT).

When Moses was too tired and felt like quitting, his friend’s Aaron and Hur stopped him from quitting and encouraged him to keep on praying. And as a result, Israel won the war and we get to see a perfect example of what a good stumbling block looks like.

Two stories from the first two books of the Bible end with entirely different outcomes because of two completely different types of stumbling blocks. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world because Adam didn’t help Eve in her moment of weakness. Moses and the Israelites won a war because his friends encouraged him to keep on praying. We too have the opportunity to change the course of history, or at least someone’s life, by the way we respond when we see them slipping in their faith.

What type of stumbling block are you going to be today?

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©Grant Gaines 2013