Why Good Men Fall

Day 15 – Blackout
The successful rationalization of a temptation brings about a very dangerous state of mind called blackout. In blackout, a good man is no longer capable of considering the terrible consequences that will be unleashed when he crosses a moral line. He isn’t thinking of his wife and children, his God and church, his future and potential, his mother and father, his co-workers and friends – he isn’t thinking at all. He is in blackout.
Every good man who has committed a moral failure will later ask himself,
What was I thinking?
That question reveals the existence of blackout. The truth is, he wasn’t thinking. His ability to think was short-circuited when rationalization allowed him to twist a bad thing into a good thing.
Adam entered blackout when he rationalized that God was trying to hold him back. Moses entered blackout when he rationalized that the Israelites weren’t worthy of his sacrifices. David entered blackout after convincing himself he deserved Bathsheba. Judas entered blackout when he felt the weight of silver in his hand. Peter entered blackout when his fear took over. Blackout causes a good man to completely forget the far-reaching consequences of his actions. Of the steps leading to moral failure, blackout is the most dangerous.
Blackout inflicts a particularly painful wound on the innocent victims left in the wake of a good man’s failure. It is exceedingly difficult for a man’s wife and children to understand how they could have been forgotten while their good husband and loving father was committing terrible acts. It makes no sense to them at all.
That’s what Achan’s family faced when he entered blackout. His story is found in the book of Joshua.
During the conquering of Jericho, the first city in the promised land, Joshua gave this command to the Israelites,
Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury. Joshua 6:16-19
It was a clear command with a clear explanation of the consequences - and Achan understood what was at stake. While doing his part to conquer the city, Achan stumbled across some plunder. He rationalized,
I’ve been wandering around with the Israelites in the desert for forty years. It has been a miserable life. I am sick and tired of breathing dust, eating manna, and living in tents. We’ve just entered the promised land and some extra money would really help me get my family situated . . .
By his own admission, he coveted what he wasn’t supposed to have and entered blackout. He forgot about his future. He forgot about his family. He forgot about Joshua. He forgot about Israel. He forgot about God. He blacked out. He took some of the devoted things and buried them under his tent. His cover up worked, and he got away with it – or so he thought.
The next day, Israel set out to conquer the town of Ai. According to the military scouts who spied it out, the town would fall easily. That’s not the way it went.
The fighting was fierce and thirty-six Israelite warriors were killed. After the miraculous win at Jericho, the loss to this little town didn’t make any sense. It ignited fear in the Israelite camp.
Joshua fell to his face and cried out to God in a prayer of desperation. God responded by saying,
Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. Joshua 7:10-13,
Achan was given plenty of time to step forward and confess his sin and return the devoted plunder. Had he done that, maybe his family would have been spared. Maybe he would have been spared. He weighed his options and chose coverup over confession. That’s the trouble with choices made during blackout – they lead to more bad choices.
Achan’s sin was exposed by God, and then he was executed. His family was also executed. He brought trouble on them. God had been very clear about the consequences, but Achan was in blackout.
This is going to sound dire, but the only hope for a man who has entered blackout is a good friend who is willing to slap him back into consciousness,
Wounds from a friend can be trusted. Proverbs 27:6
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:19
If you’re in blackout, I pray a true friend will be willing to confront you. I pray that what you have just read will confront you. Unless something jars you out of blackout, you are going to fall, and the consequences will be devastating.