571 - Caution and Vigilance#
(JP Text Group - shalom 整理)
Peace in the Lord, dear family, welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, let's take a look at God's words together.
The topic of sharing is: Caution and Vigilance
1 Chronicles 21:1-6:
1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 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.” 3 But Joab said, “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?” 4 The king's word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because Joab was disgusted with the king's order.
Let us pray together first
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you, thank you for giving us this word, allowing us to be cautious and vigilant, to see all the blessings you have given us in life, and to look up to your grace at all times. Not relying on ourselves, nor boasting in ourselves, you help us stand firm in the truth. Renew our minds through today's words, continually know you in life, and live by relying on your words. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
After King Saul died, David became the king of Israel. Years later, David conquered the surrounding nations, and at this time, Israel was at peace. It was at this moment that David became a bit complacent, and pride arose in his heart. Was all this due to David's ability? In fact, it was God's blessing upon him.
2 Samuel 22:44-46:
44 You rescued me from the strife of my people; you preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me. 45 Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. 46 Foreigners lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
Through these words, it can be seen that David actually knew that it was God who saved him from various troubles. Even though he became king, there were many problems from his family to the people, yet it was God who saved him from all the strife, and his life was preserved until now, which is God's grace and protection for him. Moreover, God also exalted David, making him the head of nations, meaning that those enemies around him who initially did not submit were subdued by David. But this was actually God's power.
David said: People I did not know now serve me. Everyone already knew David's reputation; foreigners would submit to him, and upon hearing David's name, they would obey. Through these words written by David, it can be seen that this was indeed God's power coming upon him, God's grace in his life, allowing him to achieve such accomplishments.
Looking back at David's life, for the vast majority of the time, he truly feared God and regarded God as great, thus God's evaluation of David was "a man after my own heart," which is a very high evaluation. But David was still human, with flesh and blood, and these things recorded are meant to tell us that no matter how great a person's achievements on earth, they always have flaws and weaknesses, but God's grace is always upon people. When David was surrounded by peace and everything settled down, he felt that his achievements were great, and pride arose in his heart.
So we initially mentioned that Satan rose up to attack the Israelites, inciting David to take a census of them. Satan is the devil. How could the devil tempt and incite David? Here we must mention the weaknesses in our human nature.
When a person distances themselves from God and becomes arrogant, the devil sees this person's problem and will constantly amplify the pride within human nature, causing people to gradually lose themselves, feeling that their achievements are particularly great, and they will drift further away from God. David was indeed caught in such a situation, so the devil had the opportunity. If a person continually fears God and draws near to Him, the devil has no chance to prevail.
Let's talk about two people, the first being Eve. If Eve did not doubt God's words in her heart, did not wonder why she could not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and if she had directly inquired of God when she had such thoughts, the devil would have had no opportunity to tempt her and make her fall. But precisely because she had doubts and did not seek God's words, when the devil tempted her with a wrong conclusion, she believed it because she thought the same, resulting in failure.
The second person is Jesus. After Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness, He was physically very weak, but His heart was with God. So even though He encountered temptations and deceptions from the devil, Jesus overcame them by relying on God's words.
This shows us that the devil is always looking for opportunities to attack people. When a person sees pride in their heart, they will quickly do things of the flesh. So when pride arose in David, Satan finally had the opportunity to tempt him. This should be the true scene in David's heart, where Satan wanted to tell David: "Look, you have fought for so many years, and now that the country is finally at peace, don't you want to know how many mighty warriors you have? Don't you want to know how many people God has given you? You can go and count." David thought, "That's right, this is something I should take a good look at."
At this point, someone might say, "Isn't this a trivial matter?" In fact, pride is the starting point, and if it does not stop, the consequences are very serious. Take Satan for example; before his fall, he was an archangel, leading worship before God. But once a tiny bit of pride arose in him, he thought, "Why can't I become God? I can also be a king. Why should I stand here leading the angels to worship Him? What makes me inferior to Him?" Once pride arises, he began to divide the angels, deceiving a large number of them to follow him, resulting in their fall. It all started with pride.
At this point, David already had this tendency. If God did not stop this problem and remove his pride, it was very likely that he would become the second King Saul. How did King Saul gradually distance himself from God and ultimately fall completely? At first, he thought: My family has no reputation among the tribes of Israel, and I have no ability. But later, after he became king and won victories, he set up a monument to record his achievements. As time went on, he became more and more excessive; whenever anyone threatened his throne, he could not tolerate it.
When people recognized David, they felt that David's reputation had surpassed his, and they wanted to kill David. When the priests provided help to David, he killed the entire family of the priests. Later, when he had needs and prayed to God but received no response, he sought a medium to consult spirits. Did he not drift further away? Ultimately, out of shame, he committed suicide; this is the tragedy of Saul. It all started with pride, and if David did not realize this problem, he was very likely to walk the same path as Saul.
Proverbs 16:18 says: Pride goes before destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall.
When a person's heart is filled with pride, it is difficult for them to listen to others' advice, even if it is correct.
Let’s look at verses 2-3 of the text:
2 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.” 3 But Joab said, “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?”
Family, through these words, it can be seen that even Joab, the general at the time, realized that this was something that should not be done. You must understand that counting the Israelites means checking how many people have achieved military merit, and counting them is clearly for the purpose of boasting.
Joab told David not to do this, and at that time, Joab also said, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over.” This means that counting the people should not be done; God has given you greater grace than the current number of people, so why do this? Aren't these people all your servants? Why do you need to know how many there are? Moreover, Joab made it very clear: “My lord, why does he command this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
Can counting the Israelites cause them to fall into sin? You must understand that when counting, it is certain to record their achievements, and under such circumstances, everyone would boast of their military exploits, which would be very frightening. From top to bottom, everyone would be lying on the merit list, and pride would arise.
You must know that when a person has pride within, they are not far from destruction. King Hezekiah knew his wealth was abundant, and when the Babylonian envoys came to visit him, he showcased all the treasures of the country to others, resulting in them being coveted and ultimately taken away, leaving him with nothing. These are all lessons for us, and we need to be cautious and vigilant.
Although David had a rich spiritual life and a good relationship with God, even such a person could have moments of pride. We see that when David was suffering and being pursued, he relied on God in everything, which is commendable. But what is the problem now? Everything has calmed down, and he has become proud.
Many people may remember to pray to God, read the Bible, and draw near to God when life is difficult. Once these problems are resolved, they find, “I don’t know what to pray for anymore, I can’t concentrate on reading the Bible, I feel there’s no need to gather, and I feel like the sermons have no flavor.” How could this be? In fact, at this time, the person's heart has become restless.
David was in such a state, which is actually the most dangerous time. No matter who it is, once pride takes root, they are not far from destruction. When a person is arrogant, they are not far from falling. Pride is the beginning, and arrogance is its manifestation. An arrogant person, no matter what you say to them, will have reasons to refute you and will not listen, which means they are not far from falling. These are actually wise principles that apply to each of us. We see many people in the Bible who have fallen, and there are many around us who have fallen as well, thinking they are remarkable, the best in the world. They quickly fall and are ruined.
Let’s look at an example from Numbers 12:1-3:
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn't he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this. 3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.
From this passage, we can see that a problem arose in Moses' family because he married a Cushite woman. His brother and sister slandered him because of this, which means they attacked him. Let’s not discuss whether Moses' marriage was right or wrong, but just because of this matter, his brother and sister began to slander him. What does this indicate? This matter was merely a trigger; his brother and sister had long been displeased with Moses and were already filled with various grievances in their hearts, so this matter erupted. They said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he also spoken through us?” This finally revealed their true thoughts.
It turns out that in their hearts they felt, “What makes us inferior to Moses? Everyone listens to Moses and does not regard us!” This was their true thought, saying, “Although God spoke to Moses, hasn't He also spoken to us?” These siblings actually wanted to be on equal footing with Moses. In fact, this is pride. Moses did not have this thought because he had gone through several stages in life and no longer cared about these things; he truly just wanted to serve God and lead the people. However, his brother and sister had pride in their hearts, which was the root of the problem.
The Bible says Moses was very humble, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. In the face of his brother and sister's slander, Moses did not argue but prayed before God, and God intervened in time to stop the situation from developing.
Miriam was struck with leprosy, which indicates that this matter was actually led by Miriam. Miriam had long been displeased with Moses: “Why does everyone listen to you? Why do all the people follow you and not regard us?” She felt that she was not inferior to Moses.
Have you ever thought that disputes in families arise for this reason? Or that disputes in companies arise largely for this reason? In churches, many times it is also for this reason: “What makes me inferior to him? He can preach, and I can too. Why do the brothers and sisters listen to him and not regard me? I am also used by God; I can do this and that.” This is the problem with Miriam. If this problem is not resolved in time, the consequences could be very serious, potentially causing the Israelites to split into several factions and creating chaos in the wilderness. Therefore, God gave Miriam a warning; she was struck with leprosy.
At this time, Aaron immediately understood the situation and quickly repented to Moses on the ground. So Aaron was actually quite fortunate. Through this incident, we can truly see that once pride arises in a person's heart, the consequences can be very serious, potentially causing family discord, church division, and disharmony among colleagues, leading to mutual attacks. In fact, it all starts with pride.
Returning to the text, at this time, David could not listen to the words and advice of others. God established three offices in the nation of Israel: priests, kings, and prophets. These offices have different roles but can supervise each other to prevent anyone from going astray without realizing it. This also prevents one person from becoming too dominant, thus losing fairness.
First, let’s look at the priests. The main work of the priests is to offer sacrifices for the people; they serve before God and represent the people. When the people sin, the priests must atone for their sins and restore their relationship with God.
The king is the manager of the people; one can understand that if the king is good and fears God, the people will follow this king and also fear God; if the king is bad and worships idols, the people will worship idols. Simply put, the king is like the lead sheep among the flock; the king's every word and action directly influences how the people will behave. If the king is arrogant, many people will be arrogant; if the king is proud, many will be proud. Because he is a weather vane, like a flag.
What about the prophet? The prophet is God's spokesperson on earth. When people see the prophet, it is as if God is speaking to them through the prophet.
How do these three interact? The king manages the people, the prophet conveys God's words, and the priest acts as an intermediary. There is no highest among these three, but they can supervise each other. If the king does not listen to God's words and acts arbitrarily, the prophet can warn him and even depose the king; if the priest does not atone for the people's sins, the priest is bad, and the king's efforts will be in vain. Whether the nation is blessed is related to the priests. Although the king can govern the people, he still needs to listen to the priests and act according to the words of the prophet.
For example, when a new year begins, he must first find the priest to bless the people. Moreover, when he encounters problems, he must inquire of the prophet, which means seeking God's guidance. What is the benefit of this? Although people on earth are imperfect, through these three offices, they can become complete, preventing people from acting arbitrarily due to selfishness. Thank the Lord.
However, from this situation, it can be seen that David's achievements were indeed too great; the priests had to listen to him, and the prophets had to listen to him, which was already problematic. So when David wanted to take a census of the people, he did not first ask the prophet whether this was permissible; he just went ahead and did it. He did not inquire about God's will, perhaps because he felt too confident, thinking this matter did not require prayer. In fact, this is where the problem lies.
In our lives, there are many times when we feel: this matter is too certain, and I can do it without praying to God. This is the same mistake David made. So even though David was told opposing opinions, he could not listen and insisted on acting according to his own will. Indeed, this matter was done.
1 Chronicles 21:7-10:
7 God was displeased with this counting of the people, so he afflicted Israel. 8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 9 The LORD said to Gad, David's seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”
Because David was the king, how he acted determined how the people would act; the life and death of the people were actually in David's hands. If King David was bad, the people could not be good; if David feared God, the people would follow his example. But what did David do? He took a census of the people, which not only made him proud but also made the soldiers who followed him proud, and the consequences were very dangerous. If people from top to bottom live in pride, there will definitely be problems.
After David took the census, he saw the serious consequences of this matter. Some people had already begun to waver, even speaking arrogantly. So he realized the seriousness of the situation and recognized it was his problem, thus immediately confessed and repented to God.
In the past, there was a theory that said: As long as a person confesses their sins to God, God will forgive their sins. Is this theory correct? Let’s look at the text. Did David confess his sins to God? Yes, he indeed knew that he had sinned greatly by doing this and asked God to remove his guilt, which counts as confession. According to some people's theories, as long as you confess, God will forgive your sins. Did David not face the consequences of this sin? He did.
Therefore, dear family, the way to obtain forgiveness for sins is not merely through confession, but through God's mercy upon a person, and someone must pay the price for that sin, Amen. Under the New Covenant, under grace, God does not bring the sins we commit upon us because someone has borne our sins for us; otherwise, we would face the same consequences as David. When we sin, we will face the consequences, and God will act personally. Now let’s see the prophet's role.
Verse 9: 9 The LORD said to Gad, David's seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” It is clear that David had confessed, but God said, “I must bring disaster upon you.”
1 Chronicles 21:11-13:
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine; or three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you; or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout the land of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
This is how a person under the Old Testament law behaves; when a person violates the law, there will be curses. How many people today still encourage you to return to the Old Testament law to obey Moses' law? Do you think you can obey it? Once you make a mistake, the punishment is extremely severe.
David knew he had made a mistake and confessed to God. God's messenger (the prophet) gave David three options, allowing him to choose freely. Our God is actually quite good; He gave David three options: three years of famine; the second, being defeated before his enemies and pursued for three months; and the last, being in God's hands, with God sending three days of plague. Essentially, it was three days, three months, or three years, allowing David to choose.
David actually did not want to choose any of them. Three years of famine would be disastrous! Just think, the war had just calmed down, and the people were not yet prosperous; if there were three more years of famine, who knows what would happen? The instability factors would be too great.
The second option, being defeated before his enemies and pursued for three months, was something David probably never wanted to experience again. Why? Because before he became king, he was often pursued by Saul and had already suffered enough from being chased by enemies, hiding everywhere. He did not want to go through that again. So David thought it over and decided that it would be better to fall into God's hands; three days of plague would be three days of plague. This seemed to be the least painful option.
So David said, “I am in deep distress. I do not want to fall into human hands.” He could not bear it; he wanted to be in the hands of the LORD, and he added, “For his mercy is very great.” This is where David's wisdom lies. The reason David was so wise was that he could rely on God when facing problems, even when he sinned, he still relied on God.
But what is the problem with many brothers and sisters today? They do not rely on God in ordinary times and drift further away from God after committing sins. How will your problems be solved? David is someone we should emulate; he indeed has many virtues worth learning from. At the same time, it serves as a warning for us that people cannot be arrogant. Because we see from the beginning to the end that all of David's achievements were given to him by God. He started as a shepherd, not valued in his family, but God exalted him to become the king of Israel, which is a great grace from God. We may all see this point.
In fact, if each of us could rely on God in everything like David, we would also be exalted by God and receive countless blessings from Him. However, many people, once they receive grace, begin to learn from the current David, feeling proud and thinking they can do everything, gradually drifting away from God, leading to continuous problems, and they will complain to God, ultimately not relying on Him. This is a terrible approach. Even when David sinned, he still wanted to be in God's hands because he knew that God had abundant mercy. Thank the Lord.
Let’s look at a passage from Psalm 32:1-2:
1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Why did David say this? He greatly envied those whose sins could be covered by God; such a person is blessed! Because he was under the Old Testament law, when he sinned, God indeed had to punish him. We, under grace, when we sin, God no longer punishes us because Jesus bore our sins. In David's eyes, we who are under the New Covenant are blessed.
Verse 2 says: 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit!
What does it mean to have no deceit in the heart? It means being genuine with God, not saying one thing and doing another. When he sins, God does not count it against him; thank the Lord. We must understand that even as brothers and sisters under grace, we will still make mistakes, drift away from God, and even do things that God despises, but God no longer counts us as sinners. Even if you sin, today you are still a righteous sinner; God still loves you, but He does not want you to live in sin, Amen. Because if God treated us according to our sins, we would have long been gone.
The things that happened to David will not happen to us, meaning God will not use such methods to teach us to listen to His words. David made a mistake, and God used this event to teach him a lesson. But we will not experience this. However, one point we need to be vigilant about is that if a person continues to ignore God's words and acts arbitrarily, they will ultimately end up in the wrong place and suffer loss. This means that God will not punish us for our sins, but He will use His words to remind us to turn back.
But if a person still does not listen and insists on moving forward, they will eventually fall into a pit. After falling into the pit, God will not be angry and punish them; He will extend His hand to pull them out of the pit. But even so, the person will still suffer loss. Therefore, David's situation serves as a warning for us; a wise person will choose to listen to God's words in everything. This is the wisdom we need to have.
There are too many people who keep falling and suffering losses in similar situations, yet they never learn to rely on God to overcome these problems. When they encounter similar bad results each time, they always complain to God, “Why don’t you bless me?” What they lack is wisdom; they need to ask God for wisdom to change direction, and then this problem will not arise again. David was wise in this regard; after this incident, he immediately turned back.
Let’s look at a passage from Psalm 32:8-10:
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.
David wrote these psalms from his personal experience, warning future generations not to walk his wrong path. Here it says: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
David gives us a very good hope from God's perspective, which is that we must accept God's teaching. When we walk, we must inquire of God. If David had thought to ask the prophet's opinion when he wanted to take a census, and had been able to listen, there would have been no subsequent issues.
If our brothers and sisters can learn to act according to the truth and seek God's words in everything, they will not fall. If we can fix our eyes on God, His words will give us wisdom, allowing us to avoid many detours and pitfalls. The reason people fall into pits is that they think they can handle it and that there are no problems, so they fall in.
Moreover, David also gave us an encouragement, saying: “Do not be like the horse or the mule.” What is the characteristic of a horse or mule? They think they are strong and completely ignore others' advice.
Because a mule is actually a hybrid descendant of a donkey and a horse. Everyone knows that donkeys are quite stubborn, while horses are strong. When these two are combined, they produce a descendant called a mule. Mules perfectly inherit the advantages of both, being very stubborn and very strong, which can be troublesome.
In the world, people with such characteristics are basically unable to listen to others' advice. Trying to persuade a mule is quite difficult; what should you do? You have to use a bit to control its tongue; you also have to use a bridle to put something in its mouth to tame it; otherwise, it will not listen to you at all.
In fact, David is using himself to tell us how foolish he was in the past, not listening to what others said, always thinking his ideas were completely correct. This is something we brothers and sisters need to be particularly cautious about; if we keep encountering unsatisfactory results in certain matters, we should humbly ask someone with life experience, change our thinking, and our behavior will change. Otherwise, this situation will continue.
Verse 10: The wicked suffer many woes.
Here we can imagine why they suffer many woes: because they do not listen to God's words. But those who trust in the LORD will receive His unfailing love. David insisted on taking a census of the people, and later God sent a plague, resulting in the death of seventy thousand people. At that time, David was devastated.
1 Chronicles 21:17: David prayed to God, “Was it not I who ordered the counting of the people? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? LORD my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”
Through this prayer, we can see that David was quite good; he cared for the people and feared God. If he were a selfish person, seeing that he had not suffered any harm while seventy thousand died, he would have thought, “Let them die.” This shows that he had a kind heart. David knew he had sinned, but the people bore the consequences of his sin, which made David very distressed. From here we can see that when David prayed like this, God's compassion was already activated, so through David's sacrifice, the matter was resolved.
Thank the Lord, this shows that God indeed wants David to turn back, not to kill. According to God's law, how many people would die from three days of plague? However, after seventy thousand died, God said, “Stop; this disaster is enough.” This shows that our God is compassionate towards life. After this incident, David truly understood God's heart; he realized that as a king, if he was not cautious, it would bring disaster upon the people. From here, we should also learn that if you are the head of a family, your thoughts and actions will directly affect your family; if you are the head of a company, your ideas will influence the company's development. The same goes for the church; the thoughts of a pastor will directly influence the thoughts of the congregation. Thank the Lord, and may we have a vigilant heart through these events.
1 Chronicles 21:26-31:
26 David built an altar there to the LORD and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. 29 The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God because he was terrified of the sword of the angel of the LORD. 31 So David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
Although it started badly, the ending was good. David knew that God is a God full of mercy, so he confessed to God and offered sacrifices, including burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Therefore, what truly turned God back was not David's confession but his offering of burnt offerings. In the Old Testament, offering burnt offerings meant that one's sins were transferred to the burnt offering animal. For example, if a person sinned, they had to bring a clean sacrifice, whether it was a bull, sheep, or dove, to the priest. They would lay their hands on the head of the sheep and say, “All my sins are transferred to this sheep.” This sheep would then die, and their sins would be replaced by this sheep. So when David offered burnt offerings and called upon God, the angel of the LORD sheathed his sword. Thank the Lord.
Do you know who our burnt offering and peace offering is? It is Jesus Christ. He offered Himself as a sacrifice before God, so God no longer remembers our sins, and He will not bring disasters upon us for violating His words. We must remember this. Even if you encounter difficulties and disasters in your life now, that is not from God; perhaps you have just gone to the wrong place, or perhaps your feet have walked into a place of evil. But if a person listens to God's words, they will not end up in that place.
After this incident, David finally realized his problem, but at that moment, he still did not dare to go to the altar to offer sacrifices because he was afraid that he would be struck down by God. After all, he had seen seventy thousand people die; how could he not be afraid? Saying he was afraid of death is true; who is not afraid of death? So David did not dare to go to Gibeon to inquire of God.
When he saw that God accepted his burnt offerings and peace offerings at this place, he said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” Originally, this was an unintentional remark, but it resulted in the location of the temple. David established the location of the temple here, fulfilling the later Jerusalem temple. Thank the Lord, so all of this has God's good intention in it. Through these events, we can indeed see that God used this matter to turn David back, and at the same time, through this bad event, God accomplished His great will, allowing the temple to be built in this place.
Finally, let’s look at a passage from Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In all things, this includes good things, bad things, beneficial things, and harmful things. Taking David's situation as an example, at first, his intention to take a census was out of pride, which is bad, but God used this matter to completely turn David's heart back, which is a good thing.
David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor of Araunah; he was afraid to offer sacrifices at Gibeon. He offered sacrifices at this place, and God accepted them. David also wanted to build God's temple here, which accomplished God's good intention, ultimately providing the Israelites with a temple to worship God, which was beneficial.
But everyone must remember that there is an even better way, which is to rely on God in everything, so that we do not need all things to work together for our good. Why must we let these bad things awaken us? Why must these bad things make us realize? You do not have to walk the path of the prodigal son mentioned in Luke 15 to know how much your father loves you; if you believed this from the beginning, you would not have to take such a winding road. Therefore, the Bible records these events to make us cautious and vigilant.
Especially for our dear family, when you feel quite capable and think you have achieved a lot, and you begin to be unwilling to draw near to God in everything and unwilling to pray to God in everything, this is the part we need to be vigilant about. Do not learn from David in this matter. In this matter, we must rely on God in everything, hallelujah. In the new week, we also hope that brothers and sisters can rely on God in everything, allowing good things to frequently come upon us, letting God's grace guide us often, and letting His truth lead us to walk the right path. Isn't this better? In this way, the benefits we gain will be greater, hallelujah. May today's sharing bring some help to everyone.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for allowing us to have a vigilant heart through David's incident. Let us not rely on ourselves, knowing that all our blessings are given by God; we truly can do nothing by ourselves. Help us, through David's situation, to have a vigilant heart and to be cautious in the truth. In the new week, I believe the Holy Spirit will help me and guide my life, and every step I take will be beneficial.
Please give me new insights, allowing me to see your guidance in everything, and I look forward to wonderful things happening in my life this week. All glory belongs to you. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.