Daily Devotional For Saturday, May 2, 2026

Good morning Southside! Our devotional reading for today comes right out of the One Year Chronological Bible reading for today. Our passage is found in 1 Chronicles 21:1:

“Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel” (NLT)

This is to me an odd passage because the devil or satan is mentioned. The Hebrew word translated as “satan” is [שָׂטָן, satan] and it means “accuser.” satan is mentioned only 3 times in the whole Old Testament:

• Job 1:6-12, where God puts restrictions on how much harm Satan can bring against Job.
• Zechariah 3:1-3, where he came to make accusations against Joshua or Yeshua, the high priest. 
• And our current text above.

Though Genesis does not call the snake or serpent the devil, most theologians make the connection to the devil. David decided to take a census, probably for enlistment into the Israeli army. Joab, his commander, felt this was something that would not please the Lord and encouraged David not to sin in this way (1 Chron. 21:3). David refused to listen to Joab and had the census taken anyway. It seems that the Chronicler is attempting to show us that what had been an humble shepherd boy now has become a prideful king due to the Lord giving him victories over the enemies of Israel.

As with all temptation from the devil, we are not exempted from being held accountable for our sin when we listen to the devil. We can say all we want, “The devil made me do it,” but that excuse will not work with the Lord. Joab is attempting to save David from punishment from the Lord, but David, whose head had swelled, was to blind to see it or heed it. Later, David felt guilty for taking the census and sinning against the Lord (2 Sam. 24:10; 1 Chron. 21:8). 

God came to David through the prophet Gad in 2 Samuel 24:10-15 and gave him 3 punishments God was offering and he had to pick one of them. David begged the Lord to punish him and not the people. David became emotionally paralyzed with choosing one from the three: 3 years of famine; or 3 months of fleeing his enemies or 3 days of a plague. David did not choose and decided to throw himself onto the mercy of God (2 Sam. 24:14), then God chose – 3 days of a plague that killed over 70,000 Israelis. 

Some have asked, “Why didn’t David choose?” The reason is: the choice humbled him to leave all punishment in God’s hands for God to determine, not himself, the best form of punishment. Though our motives and actions can be very complex, our God is not perplexed or thwarted by them. He knows our real reasons and motives that influence our actions. What this should tell all of us is this: our sins impact others and sometimes they get hurt because of our prideful sin. 

David’s sin brought about the deaths of 70,000 innocent Israelis. We all would do well to remember and memorize Galatians 6:7. We may think that when we choose to sin, “Oh, this isn’t hurting anybody.” It is and God will not be mocked by our lack of seriousness about our own sin. David would have done well to remember what he said to Goliath and the Philistines in 1 Sam. 17:47. Our sin hurts first our relationship to the Lord and then it hurts others from the consequences that come from our sin. 

We do not live in a vacuum. How many alcoholics have thought, “Just one more drink,” and then go out on the road and kill an innocent person? How many babies have been murdered through people seeing sex solely for pleasure and not in the boundaries God has defined? How many people have overdosed  on drugs, leaving their families and friends to grieve their loss? How many spouses and children have been crushed through divorce and the breakup of the family? Our sin impacts and it does horribly and sometimes permanently.

David, after his sin with Bathsheba, knew better and his military advisor, Joab, did everything he could to show David how sinful and wrong taking the census was. That is what our pride does to us. He blinds us to the voice of the Holy Spirit in us and from others to us. As a pastor, I have had to be there for individuals and families when a friend or family member’s sin had devastating blows and consequences. We do not have to go out and make every mistake to learn lessons. We can and should learn from the mistakes and sins of others.

Reflection Assignment: If you really love the Lord, stop for a moment and answer this question: “How has my sin impacted the people I love in destructive ways?” If you keep doing this, it implies you love yourself more than the Lord and them. So, what do you need to change now? What do you need to confess now? Who do you need to be your “Joab” now? When are you going to hate your sin more than just constantly making excuses for it to the Lord, yourself and the people you love?

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 32:9, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Lord, I am a mess. I hate to admit this. I do love my sin more at times than I love You. I am tired of making excuses for it and hurting those I love. Please give me a “Joab” in my life to help hold me accountable to You. Please give me a humble heart to confess my sin to You, seek Your forgiveness and then to make amends to those I have hurt. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly