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The Battle of Cowpens, as brilliantly dramatized in the movie The Patriot, shows British General Lord Cornwallis suffering a humiliating defeat. In large part, it resulted because of his arrogance. You see, he held the Continental Militia in contempt, assuming they would panic and retreat, as they had done before. And at the Battle of Cowpens, when they did turn and run, he sent all his troops after them. What he didn’t know, was that what looked like a retreat was calculated to lure the British army into an ambush waiting just on the other side of a hill. This historical event marked a dramatic, decisive turn in the Revolutionary War, leading to the eventual surrender by the British. It illustrates the danger of arrogance, and of resting on the laurels of previous victories.

The Danger of Putting Your Faith on Auto-Pilot

(a post-resurrection message)

The Golden Calf

The parting of the Red Sea and the Exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt was a history-changing event; an incredible victory for God’s people. But it was followed all-too-quickly by the grievous debacle of the Golden Calf. Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days, and Israel panicked, and Aaron capitulated to their demands. On account of this debauchery, 3,000 Israeli men were put to death. Our triumph soon gave way to tragedy. Adonai, being merciful and forgiving, did not give up on us, but forgave us, but the grief of that episode would continue.

Victory is a good thing. But we cannot afford to let our guard down after a victory because, as God warned Cain, sin is crouching at the door, and it would overtake us if we allow it. Let’s consider a few other examples of victories followed by carelessness and tragedy.

The Death of Uzzah

In 2 Samuel 5, David was anointed as king over Israel. One of his very first actions was to bring his army to Jerusalem, which until that time had been held by the Jebusites (the city was called Jebus). David and his army successfully captured it. Jerusalem would forever be Israel’s capital. David began to build it up and beautify it, and made his own residence in the fortress there. The Ark of the Covenant had come back into the Land after the defeat of the Philistines. It was a high point for our people; Israel was poised to enter its Golden Age.

But it led to carelessness…

In chapter 6, we read about the mishandling of the Ark in transporting it to Jerusalem. The people were all rejoicing, but failed to treat it as holy. Instead of using poles and having Levites carry it the way God had instructed, it was loaded up on an ox cart. At one point the cart was almost tipped over by the oxen, and a man named Uzzah reached out and put his hand on the Ark to steady it. God struck Uzzah dead on the spot. David’s and Israel’s victory was followed by tragedy. Our people let their guard down. Exuberance must never replace obedience.

The Spiritual Decline of Solomon

The book of 1 Kings narrates the ascension of Solomon to the throne of Israel after the death of his father David. We read of his humility and of the incredible wisdom God gave him, and how he started out so well. People literally came from foreign countries and vast distances just to have an audience with him. Under Solomon’s leadership, Israel grew stronger and more prosperous. In fact, by a bit of literary hyperbole, the author of 1 Chronicles wrote that during his reign, gold and silver were almost as common as stones in Jerusalem.

But the same writer tells us (2 Chronicles) that Solomon began violating God’s commandments; doing the very things God prohibited Israel’s kings from doing (Deuteronomy 17). He amassed vast amounts of gold and silver, collecting horses and chariots, even importing some of them from Egypt, which God had expressly forbidden. He began marrying many foreign women, eventually taking for himself 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11). And, as God forewarned in the Torah, they turned his heart away from Adonai, and he began worshiping the false gods of the Ammonites and Sidonians. Solomon even built a shrine on the Mount of Olives to the false god of Moab.

His reign ended horribly. And on account of his gross sin, God declared that He would break up the nation; and for centuries, the Land was divided into two nations: Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. And things only got worse in the years to follow. Assassination, intrigue, corruption, and alliances with foreign nations. Solomon’s rise and fall reminds us that how we end our life is more important than how it started. We dare not go on spiritual ‘autopilot’ – which tends to happen following great victories and successes.

The Demise of Hezekiah

One of the greatest of Judah’s kings was Hezekiah. In spite of having a horrible and godless father (King Ahaz), Hezekiah grew to be a godly man. He reversed all the terrible things his father had done, destroying the idols and sacred pillars, canceling the treaties that had been made with foreign nations like Assyria; even defying the Assyrian army by praying to Adonai and enlisting the prayers of the prophet Isaiah (2 Kings 19). God answered his prayers, and overnight 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died of a plague. Victory!

His accomplishments were considerable. King Hezekiah built a unique and clever tunnel system, effectively rerouting the water of the Gihon Spring to keep the water in Jerusalem so that the people in the city would never have to succumb to siege by a foreign army. Success!

In 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah became deathly sick. Isaiah came to him, and told him to put his house in order, because the Lord was going to take him. Hezekiah prayed fervently and wept bitterly and pleaded with Adonai for more years. And because of his piety, God mercifully consented to add 15 years to his life. Relief!

But after his recovery, emissaries came to Jerusalem from Babylon, presumably to bring salutations on behalf of their king, and congratulations on his recovery. But Hezekiah let his guard down and acted foolishly. He gave them the ‘grand tour’ of the city and the whole kingdom, boastfully showing them all the treasures, all the weaponry – the size of his army – everything! So who needs a spy when someone foolishly spills all the beans and gives away all the intel? As a result, God sent Isaiah to rebuke the King and prophesy that Judah would, in time, be given into the hands of Babylon. This otherwise good and godly king, after a high point in his life, let his guard down, and it would eventually lead to national tragedy.

And though there are plenty of other biblical examples, for our purposes this morning, I’ll just share one more.

Ananias & Sapphira

The early chapters of the Book of Acts record the magnificent victories of Yeshua’s ascension to heaven, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Shavuot that followed Messiah’s Passover death and First-Fruits resurrection. Thousands upon thousands of Jewish people were coming into the Faith. Miracle after miracle was taking place, attesting to God’s presence with the apostles. Unity and love among Yeshua’s followers was so strong and so attractive that they were held in high esteem among the people in and around Jerusalem. They were sharing everything they had, and there was wonder and awe surrounding the early Messianic Jews.

But in all the exuberance, the excitement and the emotion, some people lost sight of the holiness of God, and the standard of honest living He expects of us, if we claim to follow His Son.

A married couple by the names of Ananias and Sapphira had sold their house, and they gave some, but not all, of the proceeds to the Apostles under the pretense that it was the full price of the sale of their home. They portrayed themselves as more generous than they really were. And so they lied about it. First Ananias lied about it, and was struck dead on the spot, and later his wife came in, lied about it, and was struck dead on the spot.

It seems to us a very harsh punishment for telling a lie; but just as God would not tolerate spiritual compromise when Israel came out of Egypt and was newborn as a nation, He would not tolerate spiritual compromise at the new birth of His community of Messiah’s followers. If sin is tolerated at the beginning – the very foundation of something, it will get very bad very quickly.

But again, there’s a theme: victories can quickly give way to complacency or carelessness, leading to sin and sin leading to tragedy.

We have just come through a season of victory. Victory for Israel in Passover, and victory for all of Yeshua’s people in His resurrection from the dead. It would be all too easy to now sit back, relax, and forget the holiness of God, and go on spiritual ‘autopilot’. We dare not do that.

So, what can we do to avoid falling into the snares of the enemy? First, recognize that it is our tendency to let our guard down after a victory. Knowing that is the first step to staying on track with the Lord.

Did you know that statistically about 60% of auto accidents happen within about a six-mile radius of a person’s home? It’s no mystery why. As we get closer to home after a trip, or after a long day of work, we tend to let our guard down. We come to familiar surroundings, and we don’t concentrate as carefully. I intentionally go on ‘high alert’ when I get closer to home, just to offset that. We need to do the same thing spiritually – after a success of some kind, or a ‘mountaintop’ experience, just be keenly aware that the enemy will very likely try to trip you up.

What else? Simple: redouble your spiritual disciplines (prayer, Scripture study, corporate worship, fellowship and accountability). If anything, after you have a victory or great emotionally high experience, intentionally do more reading and more praying, and participate more in the life of your congregation.

One more suggestion. Following a victory, I recommend that you immediately set your trajectory toward the next victory by setting a good goal of some kind for yourself – especially a spiritual goal. A new study of a biblical topic; preparing a devotional to share with brothers or sisters. Looking for more opportunities to talk to people you meet about Yeshua.

Whatever you do, just don’t let yourself go on ‘spiritual autopilot’.

The consequences could be disastrous.