If you are like me, I bet there was a time in your life when you either did something awful or didn’t do something you should have done. You regretted the situation and wished you could have a do-over, a second chance if you will, to get it right.
My biggest mistake ever was having second thoughts about the relationship I was in and breaking up with my girlfriend. It took me about a week to recognize the error of my ways and boy how I wished she would give me a second chance!
It took more than a few apologies and some serious, heartfelt groveling to win her back, but she did give me a second chance. So far, we’ve been married 40-years!
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we get a second chance to make things right. What I’ve noticed in my own life is you must prove yourself worthy if you hope to earn a second chance.
That’s the way it is with people. But what happens when we mess up with God? What happens when we don’t do something God tells us to do, or we do something God told us not to do?
The answer, not surprisingly, can be found by examining the lives of characters in the Bible who messed up in some way, yet God gave them a second chance.
Bible Characters Who Got A Second Chance
From beginning to end, the Bible is full of second chance characters. They were ordinary men and women who made mistakes, yet God gave them a second chance.
Here are just six examples of second chance characters, four from the Old Testament, and two from the New Testament.
Jacob
Jacob went along with his mother’s plan to deceive his father, Isaac, and steal the birthright of his brother, Esau (Genesis 27). He went so far as to invoke the name of the Lord in his lies. When his lie was uncovered, Jacob fled to live with his uncle, Laban. After many years, God told Jacob to leave Laban. One night on the journey, Jacob wrestled with God all night and finally submitted to God. After Jacob submitted to God, God promised to make him into a mighty nation (Genesis 35). Eventually, Jacob had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.
Moses
Moses killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand (Exodus 2). He then ran away and stayed in the desert of Midian, where he worked as a shepherd for 40 years. It was in the desert that God called Moses to rescue the Israelites from the oppression of the Egyptians.
Moses went from a somebody as the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, to a nobody in the desert caring for sheep, to being given a second chance by God to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt and guide them to the Promised Land.
Rahab
Rahab was a heathen prostitute living in Jericho (Joshua 2). She had heard of the people of Israel and their God, and so she protected Joshua’s spies. After the fall of Jericho, she abandoned her life as a prostitute, became a woman of faith (Hebrews 11) and married Salmon, one of Joshua’s spies. Rahab and Salmon had a child named Boaz. Boaz married Ruth, the grandmother of David through whose line Jesus was born!
Sampson
Sampson could not be defeated as long as he maintained his Nazarite vow to God. Sadly, self-indulgence and sexual sin led him to break his vow (Judges 16). Sampson lost his power and was captured. Blinded by his captors, Sampson was forced to work as a slave. Sampson repented, retuned to God, and God gave him back his strength. His final act was to break down the pillars of the stadium killing himself and all the Philistines who were there.
Paul
Paul was a highly educated Jewish Pharisee who zealously persecuted those who believed Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 8:1-4). On the road to Damascus, a voice from heaven stopped Paul. Paul fell to the ground as he recognized the voice as the voice of the Lord.
Jesus appointed Paul to carry the Gospel to the Gentile world. Paul spent the rest of his life carrying the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. We know a lot about Paul because he wrote 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament!
Peter
No review of second chance Bible characters would be complete without Peter. As one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter experienced the love of Jesus first-hand. He witnessed the miracles throughout Jesus’ three years of earthly ministry. Peter was the one disciple who proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 16:16) and the Holy One of God (John 6:68). Yet despite this spiritual insight, Peter was the only disciple to deny Christ, and he did it three times (Matthew 26)!
Despite Peter’s denials, Jesus reached out to Peter after His resurrection and restored him. Before His ascension, Jesus called on Peter to care for the believers (feed my sheep, John 21:15-17).
Do You Deserve A Second Chance?
I’ve known some people who made mistakes and thought God would never forgive them. They thought what they did was so bad, He would never give them a second chance.
But think about that for a moment. Look back at our list of Bible characters.
- Jacob deceived his father and lied about God.
- Moses was a murderer.
- Rahab was a prostitute.
- Sampson rejected his vows.
- Paul persecuted Christians.
- Peter denied Jesus!
Despite what they did, God gave them a second chance.
Why?
Did you notice a common theme among these characters? They all came to God humbly. They rejected their mistake and asked God for mercy. Sometimes, like Moses and Jacob, they had to wait a long time for their second chance, but it came.
None of them deserved a second chance, but God was merciful and gave them a second chance anyway.
We do not deserve a second chance either. However, our merciful God will often give us a second chance if we admit our mistake and come before him humbly asking for forgiveness!
More Articles on Character
I’ve written many articles about character over the years. You can search for “character” to find them, or you can check out the links below for five of the most recent articles.
- #348: What Kind of Legacy Are You Leaving?
- #347: Leadership is Taking Responsibility for Lives, Not Numbers!
- #334: If You’re Not Rowing, You’re Drifting
- #332: What Is the Wrong Way to Achieve Greatness?
- #325: Do Hard Workers Make The Best Neighbors?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Has God given you a second chance? If so, how are you living out your second chance?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
