1 Chronicles 21 - 3.31.25

Scripture

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV

“Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.””

Observation

In this passage, Satan incites King David to take a census of all the people in Israel. This is a sin that angered God and led to a plague that killed many of the Israelites. It is a consequence David faced for his pride and misplaced trust in human strength rather than God’s divine power.

Application

Pride comes before the fall.

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”-Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬ ‭

It’s something David learned the hard way here. So when I first read about this story in 2 Samuel 25, (the same story of David taking a census), I thought to myself, “Why was it a sin for David to take a census?” But then as I further looked and studied about the passage, you see that it wasn’t the actual act of taking the census that angered God. It was David’s heart behind the whole thing. Up to this point, God had displayed His divine power throughout David’s life. He helped David defeat Goliath. He protected David from Saul and his enemies and most recently, God had given David victory after victory whenever he went out to battle. But, instead of acknowledging God’s divine power throughout each victory, David’s pride crept in. David saw each victory over his enemies as a result of the strength of his own armies that he assembled. He mistakenly forgot that it was God who gave him those victories over his enemies. It was a mistake that had severe consequences. But at the end of the day, David humbly seeks God and asks God for His forgiveness.

“Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.”-1 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬ ‭

If we ever start getting a big head or too full of ourselves, let’s learn from David here. Let’s remember exactly WHO is responsible and the TRUE reason behind our success. Let’s remember that ALL our success and blessings come from God. 😊

Prayer

Father God thank You for blessing me with so much in life. You have given me a beautiful family, a great job, good health to do my job and even instilled in me the drive to do it to the best of my ability. Please forgive me for ever thinking it’s from my own hard work and my own doing. Thank You for the favor You have blessed me with throughout my life. May I never shy away from telling people it’s from You. May Your name be glorified. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽 

-Moses Gaddi