“But Joab replied, ‘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?’ The
king’s word, however, overruled Joab…” (1 Chronicles 21:3-4 NIV)
David was about to do something foolish by taking a census, thereby
displeasing the Lord /as he put his trust in the number of his fighting
men rather in God, yet he wouldn’t listen /to someone () God had put /in his
way /to stop him. His general Joab begged him not to bring this guilt
upon Israel; “the king’s word, however, overruled Joab.” David was
lording it over his general, saying, in essence, “Have you forgotten
your position, Joab? Kings tell generals what to do; generals don’t tell
kings. Just do /as I say.” Notice that Joab’s warning didn’t even
prompt David to pray about the situation, as he had done so many times
before.
There are times //when God gives us a red light /to stop us from doing
something //that might hurt us or cause us to fail him, and we don’t
listen – especially if the warning comes /from someone () we don’t like, or
[someone () we think] beneath us or less spiritual than us. The issue is not
whom God uses, but whether we are open to correction. Or are we so
headstrong /that once we have made up our mind /about something, we don’t
want anyone /telling us what to do? David would have saved [himself and
the people under him] so much trouble /if he would have simply heeded.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise
listen to advice." Not very many people are willing to do that. We’re
so egotistical /that if we’re not careful, we can take [anyone //who
corrects us] /as an enemy.
Let’s pray that God would make us more sensitive /so that if we were
going down a wrong road, he could send somebody or something to warn us,
and we would listen!
Read 1 Chronicles 21:8-28.