1 Chronicles 21:1-4 - Satan rose up against Israel and
incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of
the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to
Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are." But Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply
his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not
all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring
guilt on Israel?" The king's word,
however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came
back to Jerusalem.
It was a time of great satisfaction for King David. His army had become so numerous he wanted the
men counted. God did not order it…David was tempted by satan to do this thing.
Even his close military leader Joab knew it was a thing of sin…but David did
not listen…and allowed satan to trick him into a count of the men that had no
purpose but that of pride.
My eyes and heart stuck on the words of the Life Application
Commentary in my Bible…it said that there was a fine line between confidently relying
on God’s power and becoming proud because you have been used of God for great
purposes. The words rang true…and soaked deep down in my soul.
Pride has been called by many names….arrogance…conceit…smugness…vanity…superiority. It crosses that fine line quietly…before we
even know it was lurking close by our side. It waits for the perfect
opportunity to slip into our heart…and begin to twist the reliance we have on
God into a reliance on the skills that he developed in us for him to use. And because God loves us…there is a Joab
waiting…to remind us that we may have crossed the line…and allowed satan to
trick us into thinking that we somehow deserve…or have worked hard enough to
earn the gifts he has given us ourselves.
Oh the price we pay when we allow pride to rule and win like
David. Seventy thousand people died
because of his choice…for God’s punishment was great….and Jerusalem was almost
destroyed. If it had not been for the repentance
of David’s heart…and the compassion and mercy of the father to lessen his original
sentence…the city he loved so much would have been wiped out.
It is a solemn reminder to me that with great gifts and
deeper understanding of God’s power and love…come the responsibility to watch
out for satan all the more. He is
waiting to lure us back away from total reliance on God….just like he did Adam
and Eve in the garden. He wants us to
believe that we can do it on our own…but just because we know the difference in
good and evil…doesn’t mean we will make the right choices without calling on
God to help us.
Father…thank you for this reminder to guard my heart from
pride. Help me today to remember to ask
you for your guidance and direction. Help
me remember that everything I have and will receive belong to you…and I must
always rely on you to tell me what to do with it. Keep me from crossing over
the fine line…and believing satan’s lies for even one second… always trusting
in your great power instead. Amen.
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