When the Godly Are Foolish, Part 2

Never had someone in authority, someone you wired let you down. Few things are more painful than discovering character flaws in our celebrated heroes today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll was teaching from second Samuel 24 in a message we introduced on Fridays program you up to speed.

King David ordered a census of his people when he assess the national headcount was quite proud of his achievement, ignoring God's will. Chuck titled his talk. When the godly are in. There was a king reminder of God's displeasure and what you done. David is such a sensitive man, it's troubling to them after you numbered the people you wonder why that all the world that does prompt my pride moms and dads. The thing that your children appreciate the most about you and your spiritual walk is when you're wrong. Troubled over expected to be perfect, but they expected to declare the trouble when you've done wrong. They will admire you till the end of their days if they have the assurance when you're in trouble from God.

You will admit to them what you did was wrong and you will leave a legacy they'll never forget how children grow up. Having ever heard their parents say I was wrong.

I was wrong. God's dealt with me about that.

What he wants us to do now our first of all need to make things right with you with the fan. David was troubled in his heart after he had numbered the people and David admits those hard words I have sand greatly and what I have done now, Lord, please take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have acted very foolish in first Chronicles 21 verses seven and eight, God was displeased with the king, so he struck Israel.

I suppose that's what began troubled heart and David when we have done wrong and we begin to see the devastation occur either in the spirits of those around us are in and in a sweeping movement of God that might be smaller. It might be great. We witness that we sense if we are sensitive to him. We sense we have caused the trouble and we cannot let it rest to deal with it.

I have sand greatly. He says in verse eight, and that I've done this thing. Please take away the iniquity I have done very foolish but genuine declaration of his wrong. Now he has a choice to make. This is a very unusual passage of Scripture in our next-to-last study in the life of David. We have come once again to one of those unique sections of Scripture is the only time I can remember where a man has a choice in the consequences of his wrong. God gives him a choice I would look at how it unfolds in the in the Chronicles past the Lord spoke to Gad verse nine David Senior this would be one of his administrative assistance. One of the prophets that surrounded David's David's throne and he said go and speak to David, saying, thus says the Lord, I offer you three thing choose for yourself. One of them. You have a choice. Choose from the three that I may do it to. So Gad came to David and said to him, thus says the Lord take for yourself a look at the choices in verse 12, either three years of famine or three months to be swept away before your foes.

While the sword of your enemies overtakes you. Or else three days of the sword of the Lord even pestilence in the land and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel. Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.

Now that's visited any of the three awful I want to make an impact. I want you to see that one does not sin without making waves, causing awake, even if he chooses the three days as he does it is a never to be forgotten event but a deterrent to sin, it would've been had David heard the three ahead of time what it would've meant his response in verse 13 is very vivid. I am in great distress's are rare. The Hebrew word means to be tied up restricted cramped is the idea of having oneself stomach is one summit churn inside. I am cramped I am untied up inside you you all said those words he heard this account and it was more than he could bear is a tremendous guilt. This is, I'm in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are very great, but do not let me fall into the hand man that's that's wise, if you want grace fall into the hands of the Lord. If you want judgment all into the hands of man. I'll take three days of the sword of the Lord. Now there's a there's a prophetic scene that follows is dead.

It is David realizes the. The movement of God's life across this land of Israel cutting people down one after another. It's almost more than staying and the God sent this Angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. Think of that to this capital city to destroy as he was about to destroy the Lord sawing sorry over the calamity instead of destroying angel. It is enough.

What is it, it is enough. I purposely overlook verse 14, because that is the devastation of one man's sin. The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel 70,000 men of Israel fell. That's a number that not a person here can identify with. I think you can identify with your family. If you are a dad or mom that is determined to go your own way. You may go. But you cannot get away from the devastation it will work upon your family and all of your position will not silence, it will not remove it in my earlier years we were in East Houston living next door to a very interesting family family of four children. The father owned a shipyard. He was affluent he was into sailing. He had several vessels to which he erased. He had a trophy case that was lined with huge regatta type of the trophies that he had one this man was a Playboy. He and his wife lived in a world that was the farthest thing from from a family life. It was not uncommon for them to leave food in the refrigerator for the children on Friday evening and to be gone Friday night all day Saturday all day Sunday and come in late on Sunday night prepared for work on Monday and I'm sure a couple trophies in the backseat that they had one I was leaving the children to raise themselves and indeed they did as the children were raised, misery struck at home as a matter fact, the mother could not cope and she finally died of suicide took her own life through drugs. One of the boys of fell into trouble and did a term in prison. One of the girls became a call girl in Vegas when she reached young adult life. Another boy stepped into his father's shoes and just began to relive the same lifestyle that he had seen in the pattern of his father devastated kind of shadow fell upon that family.

It's it's left and never to be forgotten memory in my mind that David is caught in the trap of watching it happen and he saying those effects of the death Angel sweep across the land and he verse 16 in anguish lifts up his eyes and sees the angel the Lord standing between earth and heaven with this drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Israel over Jerusalem, David and the elders covered with sackcloth fell on their faces look at what he says is it not I commanded to count the people.

Indeed, I am the one who has sinned emphasis on the I am done very, wickedly, but please see what they've done answer.

Nothing but it is part of the law of sowing and reaping, and you cannot discount it. No man is an island. We do not live alone. We do not sin without its devastating effects. What have they done all Lord my God, please, let thy hand be against me in my father's household. By the way, what had they done nothing if it affects everyone else. It's a hearty but not against my people that they should be played. Watch what God's is a broken man who is facing the responsibility of his iniquity at the mercy of God, by the way. Sin pays a terrible wage. Those of you that have been raised in church of heard that so long no longer leaves an impact on your many of you, one man wrote this sin does not serve well as gardener of the soul.

It landscapes the contour of the soul until all that is beautiful has been made ugly until all that is high is made low until all that is promising is wasted then life is like a desert parched and barren. It is drained of purpose, it is bleached of unhappiness. Sin then is not wise but wasteful.

It is not a gate but agree summertime is a pretty loose time to live specially in our area, especially if you're younger you know you can sort of let the more the stops in run little freer.

Before long, the bills come due. It's amazing the enemy is never around to help you through that time.

Never being the coward that he is once you're trapped. He leaves you all the wound of sin to ferret out your own life as best you can and you don't do it very well. So the Lord has a plan he wants David to build a never to be forgotten.

Memorial verse 18 the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of horn and the Jebusite. So David went up at the word of dead by the way he's very obedient now. It's amazing how rapidly obedient one becomes. After suffering the consequences. He would've gone anywhere. So he went up to do that. David went up at the word of Gad verse 20 Melbourne and turned back and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hit themselves or man was threshing wheat.

This David came to Orlando horn and looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before David, with his face to the ground. Now just a minute the sin of David is not public knowledge or man still sees David as a man of God.

David knows the truth of his life and or manholes. This king in high respect. That's part of the vulnerability of spiritual leadership. People put you on a pedestal and you live on that pedestal and they provide particular protective kind of benefits that are continually late in your feet and David could had he not known better, could have taken advantage of this. Again, here is a man who says think such thoughts as praise God, do I have the king calling on me in my own home to get the sweep of what I want to go back a second sin.

Verse 19. David went up verse 20 around Outlook down same individual. Just a little different rendering of the name around the looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him and around the went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king and around the said why has my lord the king come to his servant David said to bind the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord that the plague may be held back from the people around us, said David let my lord the king taken offer up what is good in his sight, look the oxen for the burnt offering the threshing sledges the yolks of the oxen for the wood everything okay around the guest of the king that respect to a man that didn't deserve it around. I didn't know it but you see the position of spiritual leadership is such that if you ever doubted never down but what that is not a man of God and lavishly laying upon him all these benefits, and in the king hears those words must painted around the sit are all yours don't pay for anything.

I couldn't take time. Ministers discount your minister don't ask for a discount. Weird. No more deserving of a discount, and anybody else any other profession in the may it never be forgotten that some work as hard, if not much harder and longer than we. David broken knowing the truth of his own life that he by the grace of God was able to stand there rejected the offer right away with the Lord your God, except you. Verse 24. The king said to around no, I will surely buy from you for a price.

I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God, which cost me nothing.

So David bought the threshing floor in the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. I will take the gift but I'll pay for what would it cost to me the figure pays for it. Any constructs this altar new picture at the Kings in their putting together.

However, the altar was to be built. He saw that it was built in verse 25. David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the Lord was moved by entreaty for the land.

The plague was held back from Israel one more look at Chronicles one more it's worth it.

Craig verse, verse 27, just found it had seen it before. And the Lord commanded the angel 2127 and he put his sword back and that she isn't that great is over.

The plague is ended.

I smell the offering. It brings a sweet fragrance to my nostril. My Holiness is upheld. He put his sword back and she all that's grace I hear some people the time say how can God do such thing and I wonder rather how can God stop. Cory did knowing what we deserve. The third and fourth generation. That's grace.

It could have been the 20th and 30th generation, the fall, the truth were known, in all our lives. We deserve none of those benefits that come our way.

Just by habit is by regular benefits of grace want to tell you, though the sword was back in that she hear me. There were still 70,000 fresh graves in Israel 70,000 grieving families whose lives were marked by David's compromise with pride. I find three remaining thoughts that I want to leave with you. First is to live in unaccountable life is to flirt with danger. If you find yourself living alone. Be careful if there is no one around to whom you are accountable in your personal life mates are accountable to one another. That's one of the things that keeps us pure. Our mates have a right to know our whereabouts and arm and the flies of our lives to ignore the accountability as to flirt with danger. The wife I mentioned early in the message shared with me. Just this afternoon as we spoke again. There seems to be a glimmer of hope for her for her husband. She said the thing that had caused my husband's ruling was a lack of accountability. Anyone once he reached that pinnacle not accountable part of the repentance process that is being part of this individual is be accountable to a board for an extended period of time strong natural leaders don't like that but it's good it's healthy health. Even if you run your own business have a sense of accountability. Someone in that level of authority, someone near that level not to have it is to flirt with danger. Second, to ignore since consequences is to reject God's truth Bible is filled with consequences of sin all the way through the book.

It gripped me this afternoon as I finalized and polished off thoughts on this message that sin is really a selfish act it's committed to bring once self pleasure carry little about the devastation it will have on someone else.

The third, to fail to take God seriously is to deny his Lordship in the fun and the delight of living and no one believes in that more and I do sure is easy to take the edge off his holiness. I wouldn't take away for a moment the delight in the fulfillment of a full life when it comes to God when you take them seriously. I play games with a this these words fall on her sensitive ears. I hope so I hope. In fact, the catches you before the fact rather than after I like us to bow together for some time commitment of our lives heavy words, heavy thoughts, but needed.

I like you to pick one, one truth that is really come home to roost this day in your life. It may not have even been something I said, just something God said to you may not be very profound but quite simple and that in itself could be profound like you to turn that truth over your mind for just a moment right now. Maybe it's I needed taken seriously are realizing new sin impacts many many other people and myself or I can afford to live in unaccountable life if you don't mind this evening before you walk out of this place. I like you to lean over the friend that you met ensure that one truth that spoke most to you.

I want you to take your time. If you're comfortable doing that.

Just share with your friend, the one you met tonight. The one thing that really stands out our father. We do not know we have no way of knowing, upon whose ears, these words fall you've really ministered to me personally.

All this week as I have turned over these thoughts of yours in my own mind I needed to hear what you have said and I acknowledge my allegiance to you is the Lord of my life. You are my Lord and I freely and seriously share that openly to this congregation.

You are the Lord of this church.

We as staff and board and congregation alike bow to your holy authority protect us our father.

These grueling days from a freewheeling do as you please come alive and leaves in its wake so many consequences help the strong natural leaders especially who hear this message.

Men and women alike those in positions of sort of unquestioned authority take a long look at their integrity speak directly to us. Father painful areas.

The nerve center decision deep in our minds, young and old alike.

Thank you for what you have said, some of which is not even been spoken. Thank you for turn our hearts to you. Our father fresh new way, even as we share with one another.

Now, for Jesus sake your listening to Insight for living in the Bible teaching pastor and author Chuck Swindoll to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org Chuck titled today's message on the study of David's life. When the godly are foolish and with just a few programs remaining would like to invite you to request your copy of Chuck's biography on David after preaching this teaching series during Sunday evening services in the late 1970s, Chuck decided to write a biography on David as well. The book came out much later in the 1990s.

It's a classic and it's called David a man of passion and destiny all the details for purchasing a copy can be found@inside.org/store or you can give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 and then you might be wondering what's coming up next.

Well Chuck will begin addressing one of the most dynamic relationships in our Christian walk.

Our next series is called flying closer to the flame and it's about developing a renewed passion for the Holy Spirit. Chuck is convinced that many of us have overlooked or even quenched important dimensions of the Holy Spirit and he believes we can find a more spontaneous intimate and dynamic relationship with God through the Spirit, so be sure to join us for this practical study called flying closer to the flame.

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Your contribution will truly make a difference for those who come to rely on Chuck's teaching every day. If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or if your online visit inside.org. We look forward to connecting with you soon. Join us when Chuck Swindoll begins his final message in our comprehensive study on David that's Tuesday on Insight for living. The preceding message when the godly are full, was copyrighted in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R.

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