Can success affect your faith? We discussed this last night in a men's group. Our point of discussion was a guy named David. You may have heard of him; he was king of Israel about a thousand years before Christ. He was known as a faithful follower of the Lord, but he had some issues after he became king.
Now I always think of some very notable issues, like The Bathsheba Affair (can you imagine today's tabloids getting hold of that one?) and Census! Both were problems that affected someone else. But there were a lot of things that showed pride sneaking up on the "man after God's own heart" that we may overlook.
In 2 Samuel 5, David became king. He announced to the people of Israel that God gave him the throne. None of his military victories would be possible without God's intervention. But he began to amass a harem - in direct conflict with God's law. In the book of Deuteronomy, the people of Israel are warned about a king who accumulates wealth or concubines and wives. David began to do this right away, and acquired a large family.
Then, in 2 Samuel 6, David dances and rejoices as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into Jerusalem (there was about 90 days of fear and loathing while it was stored in Obed-Edom's house, and Obed-Edom was blessed greatly during this three months). His wife Michal, the daughter of the late King Saul, berates him for his 'undistinguished act'. He first throws it in her face that her family no longer has the throne, then praises God for returning the Ark to his people.
So, David's successes build pride in his heart that crowds out the Lord. Can we take a lesson from this? Can we learn to say, as Proverbs 30:7-9 proclaims:
| QUOTE |
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God. |
Read that closely: "give me neither poverty nor riches". And why? Because poverty drives a man to unrighteous behavior, and so does wealth. Agur (whoever he was) prays "Lord, give me enough to feed my family and to live on, but don't give me more than I can handle." He recognizes that too much 'stuff' can put a damper on our spiritual lives.
Though many of us here on FHL know all too well the pains of material loss and financial unsuccess, perhaps we can find ways to reflect upon God's desires for us at this point in our lives. I know that in my own experience, God had to remove my success in order to get my attention. I relied upon myself, not Him. And He forced me to my knees. I really mean it now when I say, "Give me today my daily bread." Without Him, I won't eat.