Corona Devo 749

I lost my temper yesterday. Not physically, but certainly verbally and definitely emotionally. Anger is not a sin, but how we handle it can be. "Don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry" (Ephesians 4:26).  

Whoops, guilty on both of those accounts.  And I felt terrible about it. 

"My people" knew I was in an ugly place, and they (lovingly, patiently, and possibly enabling-ly) left me there.  But this morning the Lord "had a chat with me".  I say down with Him and his Word, and He proceeded to discipline me (and any of us that have let our sin, pride, anger, etc. overtake us).  The verses He used told about David, but they were really about me and possibly you.  

David decided to take a census and go and count the people of Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 24:1). He had no real purpose in doing so (except pride), and his army commander (Joab) even questioned the benefit of taking the census, but David wanted to do what he wanted to do, and so he did.

Sounds like me sometimes. Even if I receive warning or Godly advice, my stubbornness presses on, and I do what I want to do anyway. As a result, (my) people/family usually get brushed aside or have hurt feelings/hearts/or worse.

Then I "wake up" to my sin and my self-focus and I feel bad. My conscience begins to bother me. Which brings me to this morning. Which brought me to David...

But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”

In an interesting turn of Biblical events, God gives David a choice of three different-but-harsh consequences (“Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide...”

(14) “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied... “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” ~2 Samuel 24:13-14

What a terrible choice for David to have to make! But he had made a poor choice in getting himself to this point also. (Our sin has consequences for us and others.) And I also marvel at David's wisdom, as he deferred to "hope" of the Lord's mercy when punishment would come.

And punishment came to 70,000 of the Israelites.

Our punishment from sinning will come too. I doubt it will be a severe plague or three months of fleeing our enemies--because our sin was paid for by Jesus on the cross and so our "penance" looks different. But we suffer when our sin harms another. Community, intimacy, and trust are hard to rebuild.

So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days... (16) But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!”...

(17) When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me...” ~2 Samuel 24:15-17

David was feeling the weight of his guilt-in-sin, and also in his responsibility for how others were being affected because of it.

I was the same. I love my kids and husband so deeply. To be "separated" even in mood from them is emptying and clearly exposes the rashness and short-sightedness of my "bad mood" and sin-in-spirit. It also portrays the exact opposite image of the Jesus-follower that I seek to emulate for them.

David and I couldn't take it any more! We had to make things right, and we knew that it must cost us something.

At the advice of one of his counselors, David went out to build an altar to the Lord on the grounds of Araunah the Jebusite, where the Lord had ceased the plague.

Araunah was kind, he was generous, and he offered to give David the oxen for the burnt offering...the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. (23) I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”

(24) But the king (David) replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver...

(25) David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.  ~2 Samuel 24:22-25

How do we reconcile our sin before the Lord and repair brokenness that we have caused with others?

Worship the Lord. Come before him. realize His majesty and holiness. Submit our hearts and sin to Him, and give Him the respect, honor and glory that He deserves. (It is when we glorify ourselves that we fall into sin again.)

David understood and we should too that no one can "supply" our confession before the Lord, except us. There is a humility in bowing before God and getting honest with Him...and a healing. Forgiveness comes from our Lord. Everytime. If we will own our sin and repent of it, the Lord answers our prayer.

And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.  ~2 Samuel 24:25

Sorry to share "my junk" with you today, but just maybe your conscience has begun to bother you about something that you need to "do business" with God about too. And no one else can do it for us...that's not how God works.

But I praise Him for how He works. Blatant scripture about selfish-sin, hurting others, and then coming clean before God right when I needed it.

And His beautiful promise to answer our prayer and stop the plague...of us if we will turn back to Him.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com