2 Samuel 24:14

New International Version (NIV)

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

For Meditation

I don’t know about you. But I have a problem. No! Not what you’re thinking. I didn’t say I have committed adultery or stolen from somebody. I said, I have a big problem, and I need help. It’s about my ego! It is weighing too hard on me and preventing me from enjoying the freedom of my fellowship with Christ. I confess it every day, and hold it before me everywhere I go. It is yielding dividends alright, but I can’t relent and have it creep back on me.

Aha! I can see that sneaky grin in your face. “Glad you realized it at last.” But go on and sit on yours while I recover by the grace of God. Understand this, folks that it is a sickness that prevails through Adam’s family. You inherited it as well as I did.

When was the last time you got dressed and turned for five minutes in your dressing mirror, soaking in the sharpness and elegance of your dress and looks? Have you ever pumped your fits and said, “Beat it Charles/Susan!” How long did you muse over your financial report applauding your financial prowess and fiscal prudence? The thing is, ego is a sickness we can carry everywhere without knowing it. That’s why you’ve been paying for excess luggage everywhere you go.

The man after God’s own heart paid the highest prize for his ego. His army chief begged him not to do it. But David would not listen. That’s what ego does. It blurs our vision and clogs our ears to sound counsel. Our minds take us on a trip to the world of self-delusion where we see ourselves on pedestals, with thunderous applause surrounding us. “What a guy!” Unfortunately, the rug we’re standing on is rented and could be pulled from under us, any time.

“Go and take a census of Israel and Judah,” David said.

“May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord want to do such a thing?”

David prevailed and Joab obliged. The report came back.

Israel: 800,000 able bodied men who can handle the sword

Judah: 500,000

Now what king? After the numbers, what? After the promotion, the stage, the applause, the autograph signing; what is left, but emptiness – a long, lonely and deafening silent drive to a lifeless home. Now, do you understand why some people have become so dependent on booze and drugs?

David was conscience-stricken after the numbers.

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

The reality is that it is always too late. The guilt and regret are always after the fact, and we can’t roll back the clock in the real world. Our conscience will not also leave us alone – if we have one.

Three options for you, David! “Choose one for me to carry out against you,” God said.

“I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands” (2 Sam. 24:14).

David knew better. The same people, who applaud and urge you on, are the heartless and cruel ones when your fall comes. They’ve been waiting for it anyway. But God is good all the time. Even in His anger, He is compassionate and kind and will forgive, and discipline in love. He will restore if you humbly sacrifice your ego to Him. The grounds on which David sacrificed to appease God, became the same grounds God sacrificed His Son to appease His anger for our sins and brought us peace with Him.

1. So, do you have a problem or not?
2. Are you willing to confess it?
3. Are your ready to sacrifice it on the altar of God?
4. Are you ready for a refreshing time with Jesus?

I pray you join me in my daily quest to escape the grip of ego; that Jesus will be glorified in all we do.

Shalom