FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 9, number 1, January 7, 2010

The Lord our righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6.

What I Would Say to Tiger Woods

If given the opportunity, what would I say to Tiger Woods, in light of his serial infidelity that has rocked the world? The question so many pundits are asking is, “How could he do this to his wife, children, his fans, his sponsors, and the PGA?” Then others are asking, “Why did he do it?” My question is simply, “Why would he not do it?” Most of us, given his money, power, and pressure of life would be tempted to do the same thing. The remarkable work ethic and mental discipline required to be unquestionably the greatest golfer of all time was not enough to keep him from this sad hidden life of infidelity. How many times have we seen things like this happen? If it was merely an issue of self-discipline in order to keep one’s life together, then surely Tiger would have been able to refrain from such destructive behavior. A man in Tiger’s position does not calculate the dangerous lie he is living. He some how deludes himself, thinking that because he is special the rules are different for him.

So what would I say to Tiger Woods? Try this—“We all have the same problem, Tiger. Our father believed the lie of the devil in the Garden of Eden, choosing to go his own way instead of trusting His loving Creator. The result was original sin and consequently indwelling sin that has plagued us ever since. We all have a bent toward rebellion against God. Because we are separated from Him we naturally try to fill the void that His absence brings. We become very proficient at making all kinds of idols to give us a sense of love, comfort, and safety. By love I don’t merely mean some sentimental feeling we get from parents when we are young or from a person of the opposite sex when we are older. By love I mean a sense of Shalom—a Hebrew word that means fullness of life, peace, joy, a deep and abiding understanding of acceptance from the Creator, a never failing awareness of His presence, provision, guidance, and goodness all our days, no matter what happens, no matter what our performance or status in life.

All of us are born with this innate desire for Shalom. The problem, however, is that we try to find this in creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:21-25). So, Tiger, it seems that you have believed your success in golf would bring you Shalom; and who can argue with your accomplishments? They truly are astounding! However seeking Shalom from creation will eventually break every person who attempts it. You cannot find it this way. I liken this pursuit to one walking a ten minute mile of a flat treadmill. No problem. But then the trainer slowly increases the speed and the incline and before long one is attempting to run a four minute per mile pace on a very steep incline. You cannot keep it up. Something must give. Your incredible rise to fame, all the money, all the pressure to keep your image, to make the PGA and your sponsors happy was too much for you. You handled the pressure better than most, at least for a while. You were still able to perform remarkably on the course, but behind the scenes you were failing terribly. You wanted, you needed comfort (a soft place to land) and you needed security (a safe place to land), so you looked to other women to give you the comfort and security a misplaced, idolatrous love demanded.

I am not at all surprised by what has happened to you. Nor am I surprised by what anyone else does in the world. Idolatry is a powerfully destructive force. Is there any way out of this for you? Yes, indeed there is! The prophet Jeremiah, writing in 587 B.C. to the nation of Judah which, due to their own problem with idolatry, was about to be overrun by Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian empire, promises to raise up for King David a righteous Branch who will reign and act wisely, who will do justice and righteousness in the land, who will save them and enable them again to dwell securely in the land. Jeremiah then identifies this king, judge, and savior as the “The Lord our righteousness.” This is clearly referring to Jesus of Nazareth, who would be born some six hundred years later in fulfillment of over three hundred specific prophesies.

What does Scripture mean by referring to Jesus as “our righteousness?” It is the most amazing and comforting truth imaginable. Paul the Apostle put it this way saying, “God sent Jesus who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” (2 Corinthians 5:21). It means that neither you nor I, nor anyone, for that matter, has any righteousness in our selves. None of your accomplishments will give you standing before God. Only your Creator, doing the work of a Redeemer, can give you right standing with God. Only Jesus can give you Shalom. Jesus lived perfectly while on earth, fulfilling the commands of God’s law. Thus Jesus was perfectly righteous and obedient to His Father. When anyone acknowledges his own sin against God, is humbled by it and sees his inability ever to gain God’s favor by his accomplishments, and then simply trusts Christ’s death and resurrection as the means by which his guilt is taken away, God promises to forgive him of all his sins, taking away the judgment he deserves, giving peace with God.

Practically speaking—what you and I need, what everyone needs, is right standing with God. If you admit your whole life has been one of rebellion against your Creator-Redeemer and ask God to give you the righteousness or perfection of Jesus, then God promises to give you Shalom. With Shalom you no longer need to prove anything to anyone. You no longer need to seek comfort and security from other women, from your money, your accomplishments, or any other created thing. You will get to the place where you know the love of God, that your sins, though they are great and shameful, are completely forgiven. You will then begin to sense the overwhelming love and acceptance of God. You will have the ability to resist your sinful tendencies. You will have a desire to live for God and not yourself. You will come to understand that no matter what happens in this life—whether you continue to have success or you fail terribly—God loves you anyway through Christ. You will then find the comfort and security we all crave.

You are at a crossroads in your life. You have brought unbearable grief and shame to your wife, children, and yourself. However there is always hope in Jesus. He can forgive you of all your sins. He can give you Shalom. He can turn this awful saga into something very good and beautiful. You, however, must come to Jesus on His terms, not your own. You must surrender your heart, mind, soul, body, money, name, and everything to the great lover and Savior of your soul. I urge you to run to Jesus for Shalom. He will receive you if you come humbly to Him.”

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FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.

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