New Testament and God
The Cost of a Christ Centered Life
Towards the end of David’s life and reign as King of Israel, he did something that God didn’t like. He counted his men. People warned him not to count his men. But he did it anyway.
So what. He counted his men. What’s the big deal?
At this point in his life David had not only outlasted King Saul (when he spent years chasing David around the middle east trying to kill him), and out fought the giant Goliath, but David and Israel under David’s leadership has now defeated just about everybody around them. They have defeated the Philistines. They have the greatest army in the world. And now they are at a time of peace.
And David decides to count his men.
After a lifetime of depending on God and being humble, now David becomes prideful.
Who wouldn’t be prideful?
You are the greatest king over the greatest nation with the greatest army.
The problem was this: The land was now at peace. Israel had extended its borders. David’s sin was pride and ambition in counting the people so that he could glory in the size of his nation and army, its power and defenses. By doing this, he put his faith in the size of his army rather than in God’s ability to protect them regardless of their number.
We sin in the same way when we place our security in money, jobs, education, different people, or many other things.
That doesn’t mean we are not to earn money or get a good education. We should always do the very best we can.
But we have to keep our heads straight.
Those things are not what gives us life.
God is. He will determine whether or not our lives are blessed. He will determine our level of success.
David immediately felt sorry for what he had done.
2nd Samuel 24:10-14
David did something very few people ever do, confess sin willingly when we feel conviction.
Most of the time when someone feels conviction, they start making excuses, they say people are judging them, they back away from God, they
Towards the end of David’s life and reign as King of Israel, he did something that God didn’t like. He counted his men. People warned him not to count his men. But he did it anyway.
So what. He counted his men. What’s the big deal?
At this point in his life David had not only outlasted King Saul (when he spent years chasing David around the middle east trying to kill him), and out fought the giant Goliath, but David and Israel under David’s leadership has now defeated just about everybody around them. They have defeated the Philistines. They have the greatest army in the world. And now they are at a time of peace.
And David decides to count his men.
After a lifetime of depending on God and being humble, now David becomes prideful.
Who wouldn’t be prideful?
You are the greatest king over the greatest nation with the greatest army.
The problem was this: The land was now at peace. Israel had extended its borders. David’s sin was pride and ambition in counting the people so that he could glory in the size of his nation and army, its power and defenses. By doing this, he put his faith in the size of his army rather than in God’s ability to protect them regardless of their number.
We sin in the same way when we place our security in money, jobs, education, different people, or many other things.
That doesn’t mean we are not to earn money or get a good education. We should always do the very best we can.
But we have to keep our heads straight.
Those things are not what gives us life.
God is. He will determine whether or not our lives are blessed. He will determine our level of success.
David immediately felt sorry for what he had done.
2nd Samuel 24:10-14
David did something very few people ever do, confess sin willingly when we feel conviction.
Most of the time when someone feels conviction, they start making excuses, they say people are judging them, they back away from God, they