Reading: I Chronicles 17 - 29
My Verse: "Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel" (I Chronicles 21:1).
Verses like this always pop out at me. They tell me of how very active an adversary Satan and his minions are! I can never be lackadaisical in my walk with You, LORD God. I will never reach a point where I am "safe" from falling into disobedient sin. Here is one such example of this in the disobedience of King David. And this occurred in his later years - a time when one would think he would be so very wise and sensitive to Your leading. A time when he should have been very aware of the activity of the adversary and the susceptibility of our falling to temptation.
We don't know the circumstances here but David gets this idea of wanting to know the strength of his country. This sudden desire speaks of David's impetuousness. Pride has crept into David's life. The indication is that David may be presumptively planning war strategy without his LORD God's direction. He has had such success and so it is very easy to start to take credit for the success one has been experiencing. It becomes easy to start making one's own plans.
David was even warned that this was wrong. His general Joab tried to talk him out of doing this. (21:3) Yet, David insisted. In carrying this out Joab left out Levi and Benjamin "for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab"(9:21).
You, LORD God brought plague upon Israel as punishment. David pleaded for forgiveness and mercy. Yet, You required punishment and so terrible punishment was meted out upon the people for David's sin. This emphasizes how very terrible sin is.
Too often we in our lives belittle acts of disobedience, sin. We want something, even knowing it is probably not the best thing for us. We may get warnings from friends or even just an inner sense of wrongness or unease. Yet, we persist, thinking it won't cause that much harm. We think it is not that big a deal. Like David here, all he wanted was a census! And yet the consequence of that act was the death of 70,000. But for God's mercy and David's repentance it could have been worse! And each act of disobedience on our part results in a consequence of punishment. I am of the thought that we often don't know the half of the dreadful consequences of our selfishness.
Yes, spiritual warfare is real and active! "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (I Peter 5:8).
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
It is not a light thing to ignore. Help me, LORD God, to allow You to keep me in the palm of Your hand! (Isaiah 41:13)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel" (I Chronicles 21:1).
Verses like this always pop out at me. They tell me of how very active an adversary Satan and his minions are! I can never be lackadaisical in my walk with You, LORD God. I will never reach a point where I am "safe" from falling into disobedient sin. Here is one such example of this in the disobedience of King David. And this occurred in his later years - a time when one would think he would be so very wise and sensitive to Your leading. A time when he should have been very aware of the activity of the adversary and the susceptibility of our falling to temptation.
We don't know the circumstances here but David gets this idea of wanting to know the strength of his country. This sudden desire speaks of David's impetuousness. Pride has crept into David's life. The indication is that David may be presumptively planning war strategy without his LORD God's direction. He has had such success and so it is very easy to start to take credit for the success one has been experiencing. It becomes easy to start making one's own plans.
David was even warned that this was wrong. His general Joab tried to talk him out of doing this. (21:3) Yet, David insisted. In carrying this out Joab left out Levi and Benjamin "for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab"(9:21).
You, LORD God brought plague upon Israel as punishment. David pleaded for forgiveness and mercy. Yet, You required punishment and so terrible punishment was meted out upon the people for David's sin. This emphasizes how very terrible sin is.
Too often we in our lives belittle acts of disobedience, sin. We want something, even knowing it is probably not the best thing for us. We may get warnings from friends or even just an inner sense of wrongness or unease. Yet, we persist, thinking it won't cause that much harm. We think it is not that big a deal. Like David here, all he wanted was a census! And yet the consequence of that act was the death of 70,000. But for God's mercy and David's repentance it could have been worse! And each act of disobedience on our part results in a consequence of punishment. I am of the thought that we often don't know the half of the dreadful consequences of our selfishness.
Yes, spiritual warfare is real and active! "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (I Peter 5:8).
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
It is not a light thing to ignore. Help me, LORD God, to allow You to keep me in the palm of Your hand! (Isaiah 41:13)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
No comments:
Post a Comment