Daily Delight

"David said to God, 'Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have 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'" (1 Chronicles 21:17, NIV). Since my word for 2018 is "obedience" (unto God), I decided to dig into Scripture to find out what God has to say about it. I began in my oldest NIV Bible concordance, looking up Scripture containing the word "obedience." In the process, I found a gold mine in 1 Chronicles 21. Here’s a short summary of the chapter: 

•Satan, the inciter, tempts David, the decider, to count his kingdom. Joab intervenes, as he remains in God's truth.

•David was enthralled with having his own way and continued as the overruler, and God remained true to His character as promise-keeper and discipliner. 

•David was convicted of his sin and became the repenter. God heard David’s cry, yet still sent out the punisher.

•God turns His ear to His children’s cry for mercy, yet consequences are necessary to make His children weary of the tempter.

•As a good Father, God made David the consequence decision maker. Then, punishment fell hard from the hands of God’s messenger. David cried all the more for mercy, “I am the sinner."

•And the gracious, merciful God, was the faithful relenter in the end.

My encouragement to you is don’t take my word for it. Rather, go read the whole of this true history for yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to know through this word of the Lord. For myself, I’m asking to have eyes to see temptation at my doorstep. If I miss it and grab temptation, I want to have someone in my life who will boldly speak truth to steer me clear of a sinful choice. And I want to be humble enough to take heed of warnings spoken in love. 

Finally, I pray you’ll enjoy your feast at His table as much as I have this week. For His glory and our good!

{photo: @briannabroyles}

About the Author

Lisa Brittain
SATURDAY WRITER

Lisa Brittain and her husband, Randy, will soon be married 30 years. Together they are parents of two adult sons and share their home with three adopted pups. By day Lisa works as a receptionist at the local middle school. However, her mission is to reveal the important voice of each woman and teach her how to share her overcoming God stories

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It is Lisa’s true passion for Jesus and introducing women to Him, which flows in and through and around all the open moments of her everyday life. Connect with Lisa on her blog here.