Monday: Trust God, Not Your Own Resources
King David should have known better. He should have known from the experience of his best friend Jonathan that when you are in covenant relationship with God, it doesn’t matter whether you have a few men or many; God can give you the victory. In 1 Samuel 14:1-23, the Bible records the story of how Saul’s son, Jonathan, and his armorbearer defeated an entire garrison of Philistines — with the help of God. But in spite of this experience and many others in the history of God’s people, when difficult times came to King David, he allowed Satan to tempt him to trust in his own strength and ingenuity.
Read 1 Chronicles 21:1-14. Why did David decide to number Israel or count his soldiers? Why did his commander Joab counsel against this?
Image © The Classic Bible Art Collection – Formerly Standard Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Note that it was Satan’s idea to count the soldiers. He tempted David to trust in his own strength rather than to depend on the providence of God in his defense. Joab, the leader of Israel’s army, tried to persuade David not to number Israel because he had seen God work on behalf of Israel, but David demanded that the numbering go forward. His actions brought calamity to the nation, as the text reveals.
No one ever trusted God in vain. Whenever you do battle for the Lord, prepare yourself. And prepare well, too. There’s a quote, attributed to a British ruler, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who, before a battle, said to his army, “Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry!” (The powder was gunpowder.) In other words, do all that you can to succeed, but, in the end, realize that only God can give you victory.
In our immediate context, it is very tempting to trust in the power of the government or in our bank accounts, but in every crisis mentioned in the Bible, when the people trusted in God, He honored their trust and provided for them.
We should be using the present time to get square with God, get out of debt, and be generous with what we have been given. In the words of the old gospel song, “If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now.”
| How do we strike the right balance between doing what we can, for instance, to be financially secure, and yet, at the same time, trusting in the Lord for all things? |
(29)
Interestingly, this story of David taking the census is told twice in the Bible. In the Chronicles version it starts:
... and the Samuel version starts:
It makes sense from the lesson's point of view to use the Chronicles account, but could you draw the same lesson from the Samuel account?
Now, of course, the Bible critics have a field day with this difference because apparently, we have a contradiction. I am not going to give a long and detailed analysis of these two passages, except to make two points.
In Old Testament times there were periods when God was considered the source of both good and evil. We are not dealing with 21st Century Seventh-day Adventists here but with people growing and developing their understanding.
Secondly, consider that David may in fact have used the argument that God had asked him to do this census to justify his action. I am not putting this idea up as the final solution - it is just something to consider.
If we are really honest with ourselves, do we sometimes justify our own actions by saying that God has led us, when in fact that action is self-serving?
The lesson author is quite right when he says that we should trust in God. But how often do we justify our actions or position by putting our trust in a god of our own fabrication? Do we need to listen to a friend like Joab in David's story, who sees things differently?
Hi, Maurice. Personally, I can't get comfortable with the idea of explaining that difference by saying that God's moving David to number Israel was David's self-deceptive excuse. It's actually written into the Scripture narrative. So, absent a clear reason to interpret otherwise, I have to take it as truth.
To my mind, the correct explanation is more likely to be a situation like the demons entering the herd of 2,000 swine on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In that case, Satan had his reasons for wanting to make that happen, and Jesus had His reasons to allow it to take place.
In a classic case of the idiom of permission, here God is said to be doing that which He allows -- because it was entirely in His power to prevent it. At least, that's how I see it.
R.G. White, you may want to consider James 1:13-17. Basically stating that God doesn't tempt and can't be tempted.
No problem, Myron. If it was the idiom of permission, then God merely allowed Satan to persuade David to number Israel. It was still Satan doing the tempting, and David yielding to the temptation. The fact that God's purposes were thereby accomplished does not in any way make God the tempter. Even Judas fulfilled prophecy, and accomplished a part of God's plan for the sufferings of Christ, by his dastardly deed. Yet he alone was responsible for his sin, and God will doubtless hold him accountable.
The greatness of God in using all things, good and evil, to carry out His purposes of love, is a theme of the Scriptures. See Romans 8:28. Don't worry, He will be vindicated and glorified in the end.
This struck a cord;
"We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history" (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, p. 196.2)
Apparently, David feared for the future, and he would only take comfort in the number of his regiment, as we do too in the area of finances. The root of this is rightly identified as being Satan whom scripture warns us not to give a foothold (Eph 4:27) because then, we begin to doubt and forget how God has led us in the past during difficult times.
Not that GOD allowed David to number Israel, because we all know that it is not right.The verse says that "GOD was angrly with Israel to the extent that he moved David to go and count them"...I think there was something wrong that Israel did to GOD, that is why he allowed satan to take control over them!!! Not that he tell David to count Israel but he leave David and the Israel, because they anger him. And if GOD leaves us, we know that we can do such bad things and decision! If GOD left us, we can not win anything.
Or other way it was a test to David by GOD, to see if David depend to him in all situation.
So, are we really depend to GOD in every situation?! Are we cling to GOD even if he is seems quite to our prayer or not with us?!
Each one of us should ask our selfs.
thanks
Lyn, the verse that immediately came to mind when reading your comment is Hebrews 13:5.
When we are headstrong to do what we desire, and not what God has said, at some point God will stop resisting our efforts to do wrong. Think of Joab telling David to not number the Israelites; think of Balaam repeatedly asking God to allow him to curse Israel. Many more instances could be mentioned. The point being, God never leaves us; we leave him when we insist on doing wrong. Then we cry because of the consequences which come as the result.
"How do we strike the right balance between doing what we can, for instance, to be financially secure, and yet, at the same time, trusting in the Lord for all things?"
I'd say it is simple, all I have to do is to be faithful to the Lord, because He is always faithful to me. Faithful in everything, through obedience and the surrender of all that I may think belongs to me, because everything is His. Tithing and offering have to be done with joy. I just give from what I have.
David acted presumptuously even after Joab counseled against it. God didn’t tell him to take a census.
And here is the voice of God through Joab telling David “this is the way, walk ye in it”, but he rejects it and allows himself not to give this battle over to the Lord, but to put his faith and trust in the strength (and numbers) of man. Compare to Sunday’s lesson where the Spirit of God speaking through an unnamed man of God was heeded and celebrated.
It all goes back to putting God first.
There are several things that I do not understand about the story in today's lesson. Why was it wrong for David to number Israel? The author of the lesson says that we should do all we can to succeed. Would not knowing what your resources are be part of that? Is there an command from God that kings should not number the people? We might infer from Joab's reaction that David really just stroking his ego in determining how large the kingdom was over which he reigned. And why would God punish the people because David numbered them. It seems that he only suffered from knowing that he caused the suffering of others. Even David himself asked this question of God. But that is getting outside the purpose of this lesson. It just seems to me to be a strange story to use since we don't know that David was doing this because he was relying on his own strength rather than on God.
Counting people is not a problem. But the reason for counting them, that is where the problem emerges. And in the case of David, he counted them because of his fear of losing! He forgot that he has a powerful God.
Also it's about punishing people. I think it's because Israel has been contributing something to David's mistake; that is why they were punished.
Hi, Joe. Perhaps it's not such a strange story to use, when making the point that we need to rely on God as our provider, and not trust in our material resources. David's sin, and the sin of his people, lay in trusting their numbers (their potential army) to keep them safe, when God was their King and Protector. At least, that's how I see it.
If our confidence is in our possessions, then we might feel the need to amass them for the sake of our future security, and not give as God would have us do.
This is one of those stories that does challenge us a bit and I don't want to pretend that I know all the answers. Part of the problem is that we look at things that happened 35 centuries ago with our 21st-century telescope and we cannot understand some of the detail.
A couple of big-picture things stand out:
The reason why we do things is sometimes more important than the act itself. We have lots of examples of actions in the Bible of people who acted for selfish reasons.
Secondly, one of the really awful things about sin is that so often innocent people suffer from our selfish actions. That's not fair, and demonstrates that sin does not play by the rules. It takes innocent hostages.
Does that answer all the problems in this passage? No, it doesn't but I hope that it is at least a push in the right direction.
I agree with both of your points, and that it is hard for us to look back so far and really understand all that is happening. I just wonder if the author of the lesson isn't trying to read too much into this story to make it fit his point (which is a good point). The Bible does not say what David's motive was. And even though God had Moses and Aaron take a census of Israel (Numbers 1) it was clearly not something that David was supposed to do, even if there is not a strict prohibition recorded for us. I still tend to think that this was more a matter of pride on David's part than not relying on God. But pride is what leads us eventually into relying on ourselves rather than on God.
And we would conclude that experience is not the best teacher as the world believes.
I would like to know if David wrote this before or after he took the census?
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.”
Psalms 127:1 NLT
Both ways are possible Mr. Earnhardt. Remember Elijah ran for his life after proving that Yahweh is Lord only to pray to die. This David is the same young man that confessed to King Saul that God enabled him to kill lion and bear. The second possibility is after because the confession is in the last line, "unless the Lord guards the city, the watchmen stays awake in vain"
Maurice, R G White, William Earnhardt.
Something to ponder: I read 2 Samuel 24:1. The center column reference for "and he moved" says "That is, Satan" with a reference to 2 Chronicles 21:1. So if I understand the center column reference correctly, it wasn't God that moved David to take the census, but Satan, the Devil!
Would the Bible critics likely have a field day if they read the column reference?
Also, 2 Samuel 24 is listed as happening B.C. 1018 and many Psalms written from B.C. 1023 to B.C. 1000 so I guess that's up in the air which was first? Not all of the Psalm verses are dated.
Ref: King James Version, published in 1973 by Brown & Marley, exclusive owners and distributors.
Good observation, Tom. But I'm afraid it's the opinion of a few Bible translators (or publishers) against all the rest, if my quick perusal of English translations of this verse is any indication. Had there been anything in the Hebrew grammar itself to support the idea that "he" was Satan, notwithstanding only God was mentioned as a possible antecedent, then it seems likely there would be a greater consensus among the translations.
I may be mistaken, but my sense is that those few translators may have been stretching things a bit, in order to try to solve an apparent problem, when the idiom of permission is likely the better explanation. Cutting the knot of difficulty in this verse would leave a lot of other Scriptures unexplained, it seems to me.
"How do we strike the right balance between doing what we can, for instance, to be financially secure, and yet, at the same time, trusting in the Lord for all things?"
Let’s consider this question from the perspective of church workers. Our Sabbath school lessons contain valuable words of wisdom for pastors and other church workers as they navigate this challenge.
New Zealand has an approximately 20% lower standard of living than Australia. For church workers asked to relocate from a higher standard of living to a lower standard of living, the sacrifice may be significant, making it even harder to find the right balance. This makes financial security a significant challenge for some who are accustomed to the Australian standard of living (larger houses, higher income, more paid holidays, increased retirement benefits, better climate etc). Workers are sacrificing significantly when they move, and it can be a tricky balance to strike between being financially secure and trusting in God's blessings.
Australian church workers are often reticent to make this move due to the significant financial and lifestyle adjustments required, and many refuse to move to New Zealand. I appreciate the sacrifices that those who answer the call are making when they choose to dedicate part of their lives to the Lord’s work in New Zealand.
Br. Maurice good afternoon,
If possible,I would like to hear the answer on br Joe Mashburn questions in Tuesday lesson.
Thank you and God bless you
Hi Ingrid, I have provided a response to Joe's questions above.