I Love It When The Bad Guy Says "Oops!"

“I will gain glory for myself……they will know that I am the Lord!” Ex. 14:4

You know the feeling you get when the underdog wins? It’s a feeling of triumph. Not only do we see the “little guy” win but there’s something about those victories that make us feel like we’ve just won too. Somehow their victory is our victory.

We see these moments a lot on TV and in film. Movie makers earn millions making us feel victorious in films such as: The Karate Kid, The Man From Snowy River, Facing The Giants, and The Blind Side. The list goes on. Let’s face it – feel good movies make us feel good. But more than in movies we love those same moments in real life. We love it when the school bully suddenly realizes he picked on the wrong kid. We love it when the nerd transforms himself and gets the high-school beauty queen. We love it when the down and out turn lemons into lemonade. We love it when the losers turn around and win. But maybe if we’re honest – or maybe it's just me – we love the moment more because the bad guy - the antagonist - or naysayer suddenly realizes he’s made a mistake. We love the moment when he says “Oops!”

Yes, I love these moments as they occur in everyday life but I especially love these moments when they occur in a “God battle”. Although any member of God’s army is never truly an underdog – the world sometimes presents the illusion that they are. We see time and time again in the Bible how God’s people appeared to be the underdogs and yet came out victorious. These were moments when God made the impossible possible. These were moments when those on the wrong side surely said “Oops!”

Take Pharaoh's army, for example, as they followed the Israelites onto the dry path created by the division of the Red Sea. Despite the obvious sign that something supernatural was taking place, they continued to go after the Israelites. When the walls of water started collapsing on them, don't you think maybe just a few of them had an "Oops!” moment where they suddenly realized the Israelite’s God was far more powerful than Pharaoh?

What about the battle of Jericho? Logic says of course you can't destroy a whole fortified city by marching around it. I imagine Jericho's finest guards watching in wonder as their confusion turned to mockery. "What are you lunatics trying to pull? What's with the music? Where is your God? Is this how He fights battles? Ha Ha Ha!" But then on the seventh day the walls started shaking and trembling. Did the guards watch sections of the walls crumbling down around them? Did they say "Oops! Maybe we shouldn't have been so cocky. Their God is amazing. He’s destroying our city without even touching it."

There are so many great “Oops” moments in the Bible. How about all those people who thought Noah was crazy? “Oops!” How about those Philistines? I can almost hear them yelling “Oops!” as they ran for cover when their mighty protector, Goliath, was killed by a shepherd boy? And what about that moment of all moments when the tomb was found empty? Were there maybe a few people who said "Oops! Maybe Jesus was the Messiah after all."

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t enjoy the “Oops” moments because I’m vindictive. I don’t want the “bad guy” to suffer. Sure I enjoy the victory but it’s more than that. I enjoy them because it may be the moment when the bad guy realizes he’s on the wrong side in the battle of good vs. evil. You see, until he realizes he’s on the wrong team, he’ll never get on the right team.

God always amazes me. Not only in the things He has done but in the things He still does today. I love being on His team because I know that even when I face the impossible - it's not truly impossible. I love to see God prove people wrong. I love to see His glory revealed. I love it when God says by His actions: "Don't think for one minute you have me figured out. I am more powerful than you could ever imagine." Don’t tell me that my God is not powerful. Someone who says that God is not powerful is someone who has yet to see who God really is.