Ever found yourself in a pickle because you thought you could handle more than you actually could? That's what happened to me during a move that went hilariously wrong, and it's not too different from King David's blunder in 1 Chronicles 21. In our latest Bible Breakdown Podcast, we take a journey through the pitfalls of self-reliance and the redemption that comes from turning to God in times of "stupid." By sharing my own tale of woe and the ancient story of a king who overreached, we discover a shared human experience that connects us across time.
In our heartfelt reflection, we embrace the vulnerability of admitting our limitations and seeking divine guidance. This episode is an intimate prayer session, where we express our gratitude for God's unwavering support, especially when challenges loom large and the path ahead seems daunting. Drawing from the wisdom of 1 Chronicles 29, we celebrate the joy found in integrity and the peace that comes from placing our trust in God's hands. Join us, and let's navigate the trials of life together, bolstered by faith and the company of fellow believers.
Ever found yourself in a pickle because you thought you could handle more than you actually could? That's what happened to me during a move that went hilariously wrong, and it's not too different from King David's blunder in 1 Chronicles 21. In our latest Bible Breakdown Podcast, we take a journey through the pitfalls of self-reliance and the redemption that comes from turning to God in times of "stupid." By sharing my own tale of woe and the ancient story of a king who overreached, we discover a shared human experience that connects us across time.
In our heartfelt reflection, we embrace the vulnerability of admitting our limitations and seeking divine guidance. This episode is an intimate prayer session, where we express our gratitude for God's unwavering support, especially when challenges loom large and the path ahead seems daunting. Drawing from the wisdom of 1 Chronicles 29, we celebrate the joy found in integrity and the peace that comes from placing our trust in God's hands. Join us, and let's navigate the trials of life together, bolstered by faith and the company of fellow believers.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. 1 Chronicles, chapter 21,. And today's title is Trust God when Things Get Stupid. Trust God when Things Get Stupid. Now, I wanted to title it Trust God when we Get Stupid, but I was trying to be a little nice. We'll help you maybe understand this in a little while I'm going to tell them myself for the story, but before we do any of that, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you are leaving us a five-star review it really does help us to get the word out and the algorithms and all the good stuff. And make sure you're going to the Facebook group Bible Breakdown Discussion. I think we've got about 400 people there now who are reading those devotions and it just is so awesome. That team of people does a wonderful job. So thankful to have them and you need to be reading their blog posts every single day. It really is awesome. All right, well, if you have your Bibles, I want to open up with me to 1 Chronicles 21.
Speaker 1:
I don't know about you, but there's been many times when I thought I had something. I had it figured out, I knew exactly what was going on until all of a sudden, almost too late, I realized ah, I made a mistake, I messed up. One of them was when my wife and I, we were getting ready to move and we were moving and I had some friends of mine and we were all helping to kind of get things moved from this place to that place and we were loading up some of the stuff. And I always have this thing If you're going to help me move, I'm so grateful and I'm so thankful that I'm going to make sure I'm the hardest working person in the room. You know what I mean. Like, if you're moving my stuff, I'm going to make sure I'm picking up the heaviest stuff. I'm moving it. That's just the way. I am Right.
Speaker 1:
And it came time for us to move this one piece of furniture. It was the heaviest thing. I mean I'm telling you it was. It was a big old armoire thing and I was certain that when they made this thing, not only did they make it out of solid wood but they also poured concrete in. I mean, it was so heavy and I didn't want to move it, but we had to move it.
Speaker 1:
And I've been waiting and been waiting and waiting and finally couldn't put it off anymore. And so I go to pick up this thing and on one side there's two guys, both of them stronger than me, and on the other side it was just me, and they were like Pastor Brandon, do you want to wait for somebody? No, guys, I got this, I got this. And so we pick it up and immediately I'd made a mistake. I knew it. And so we're walking and we get to the place where I can't put it down anymore and I say hey guys, listen, I need you to know. I can feel my hands going numb. I'm going to drop this in about 10 seconds. Well, let's move back. No, we can't, because if I move, I'm going to drop it. I just want you to know I'm going to drop it. I mean, that's just what it was.
Speaker 1:
And there was a guy, his name was Chris. He heard that was happening and Chris was a bricklayer. I mean this was a strong guy. And he comes around and he says hey, pastor Brandon, watch out. And he grabs it. He turns his hand backwards, he grabs it with one hand. I'm like Chris, you sure you got this? He's like yeah, let go, let go. And when I tell you that I let go. And Chris's hand didn't move. He didn't even look like he was straining and struggling. It hurt my feelings so bad because he I was holding on with everything I had and Chris had no problem. And then Chris proceeded to lead the other two guys out to the truck, holding on to his part of the armoire with one hand and he was directing traffic with the other hand. It was like insult to injury. I was so embarrassed, but at the same time Chris was such a cool guy that he didn't say anything about it. It wasn't until later when I realized, ma'am, I took on more than I could handle. Thank goodness Chris was there to help me get out of this trouble.
Speaker 1:
Well, in that kind of way, but infinitely more so, david finds himself doing something stupid, just like me, trying to do something I shouldn't have done. I should have let other people do it or trusted in someone else, but yet decided I was going to do something I knew I shouldn't have. David does something here he's not supposed to do and when he does there's a consequence. But I love what he does when he has to face the consequence of his decision. He didn't have Chris there to bail him out. He had God there and I'm telling you he's not supposed to do that. This is amazing when you think about what's going on. So let's read this together about a horrible, stupid thing that David does, but then watch what God does and let's see what God does in this situation. You ready? Here we go.
Speaker 1:
1 Chronicles 21, verse 1 says this Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army take a census of all the people of Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, and bring me a report so that I may know how many people there are. But Joab replied may the Lord increase the number of his people a hundred times over. But why, my Lord the king, do you want to do this? Are not they all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin? But the king insisted that they take a census. So Joab traveled throughout all of Israel to count the people. Then he returned to Jerusalem and reported the number to David. There was 1,100,000 warriors in all of Israel who could handle a sword and 470,000 in Judah. But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do.
Speaker 1:
Now, the reason why and we're going to see this in a second is God had told them to not take a census, because one of the reasons why is because in that is where you would get your sense of you know. This is how awesome I am, and your identity should come from God. Also, this is the protection I have, and your protection should come from God. And so there was a lot of reasons why God said do not sin by taking a census. However, they did. Now watch what happens.
Speaker 1:
Verse 7,. God was very displeased with this census and he punished Israel for it. Then David said to God I have sinned greatly by taking the census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing. Then the Lord spoke to Gad, david's seer. This was the message Go to David and say this is what the Lord says I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments and I will inflict it on you. So Gad came to David and said these are the choices the Lord has given you. You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the Lord brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what I should give the Lord, what answer I should give the Lord who sent me. I am in a desperate situation. David replied to Gad but let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Don't let me fall into human hands. So the Lord set a plague upon Israel and 70,000 people died as a result. And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, stop, that is enough.
Speaker 1:
At that moment, the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Arunah, the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground. Then David said to God I am the one who called for this census, I am the one who sinned and has done wrong, but these people are as innocent as sheep. What have they done? Oh Lord, my God, let your anger fall against me and my family and don't destroy these people.
Speaker 1:
Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar of the Lord on the threshing floor of Arunah the Jebusite. So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him through Gad. Arunah was so busy threshing wheat at the time he turned and saw the angel there. He and his four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid. When Arunah saw David approaching, he left the threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
Speaker 1:
David said to Arunah let me my lord, the king, and use it as you wish. Arunah said to David I will even give the ox for the burnt offerings and the threshing boards, for the wood to build the fire for the altar and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you. But David replied and said no, I insist on buying it for full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing. So David gave Arunah 600 pieces of gold in payment for the threshing floor. David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And then, when David prayed, the Lord answered him by sending a fire from heaven and burned up the offering on the altar. Then the Lord spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath. Then, when David saw the Lord, he answered his prayer and he offered sacrifices there at Arunah's threshing floor, and at that time, the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offerings that Moses had made in the wilderness were located at the place of worship in Gibeon. But David was not able to go there and inquire of God because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the Lord.
Speaker 1:
Wow, so you see, david did a stupid thing. He was not supposed to do it. He knew he wasn't supposed to do it and he did it anyway. But then, when the time came and he had to face the music, he said I trust the Lord, I trust the Lord. And then, when all these bad things happen, god still tells him what to do. And it's this amazing story. I love how David said I will not give the Lord something that cost me nothing. I want to give him everything. I think that's one of the reasons why God said that David was a man after his own heart is because he truly loved the Lord. Also, when he did wrong, he would fess up to it. I did wrong and we see how, as he built this altar and he sacrificed to the Lord and he took personal responsibility, that God did an amazing work in his life. Just like when I did something stupid and I grabbed a hold of something I shouldn't have and I was about to have to pay the price I was going to drop that thing and probably ruin it there was somebody who came and they saved me. They helped me in that moment.
Speaker 1:
Well, many times when we do something wrong, just because we do something wrong and God forgives us doesn't mean there's not going to be consequences. Just because we do something wrong and God forgives us doesn't mean there's not going to be consequences. It's almost like the idea of, let's say, someone goes and they rob a bank. Well, after they rob that bank, they go to church the next day, they give their life to Christ, they get saved and, like man, praise the Lord. Well, guess what? They still going to go to jail. God might work a miracle, but they may also have to pay the price for that sin. The sin, the eternal consequences of sin is gone, but there's still sometimes earthly ramifications for the sins we commit.
Speaker 1:
So here's the thing If you've done wrong, if you've done something, you shouldn't have be quick to repent and turn to God and then turn yourself over to him. God, I trust you. Whatever that next step is, I know that you are going to do us best. That's what David said. He said, god, I did wrong. I don't wanna trust anybody else but you. I put you in charge. I trust that whatever you bring me to, you are going to be able to bring me through and then, whatever comes, you trust the Lord. Can I tell you right now, if you're in a situation where maybe you're dealing with a sickness, or maybe you're dealing with consequences of bad actions, or maybe you're dealing with something completely different, can I encourage you to turn it over to God? God, I have no idea why I am sick right now, but I'm gonna trust the doctors. I'm gonna do everything. They am sick right now, but I'm going to trust the doctors. I'm going to do everything they tell me to do, but I am going to turn over, ultimately, everything over to you.
Speaker 1:
If it's something that happened because of something stupid that we did, you know, sickness is not something we can always have anything to do with or cause. But what if it is something we did? A stupid decision, a bad relationship, just things? God, I repent and I turn it over to you. Your word says you have the ability to make all things new, and so if you choose for me to receive a miracle where I don't have to pay the consequences, praise the Lord. But if I have to pay the consequences for my bad decision, I trust you Because I trust that whatever it is I have to go through, it's a whole lot better than what I would have to go through without you. And if we begin to trust God like that, I guarantee you he will always lead us in the right direction, because even in judgment, we can trust God to do the right thing.
Speaker 1:
Trust in the Lord. Let's pray, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you that you're with us and you are for us. God, there's some of us maybe listening or watching this right now. They've got some really hard decisions to make, or there's things that's happened that are out of our control and things that are happened because of what we have done. They've caused us a lot of times to be afraid. I pray, god, that we will trust you with those things, to realize, god, that you're with us and that you're for us, and because of that we can have nothing to fear, because we put our hope in your hands. Thank you, god, for loving us the way you do. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen and don't forget. God's word says in 1 Chronicles 29,. I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for 1 Chronicles, chapter 22.