Our confidence quickly enlarges as we overcome our enemies and troublesome circumstances that overcome us in this life.  If God is not given the glory for these victories, another growth spurt takes place.  Along with our confidence growing, seeds of pride can appear in our walk with God. It happens when our humility before God and gratitude to God are set aside to seek the praise of others.  These seeds of pride grow like vines with nasty, spikey tentacles that reach out to strangle our spiritual growth and dull our faith and trust in God alone.

Our pride becomes an inner spiritual battle between the God who gives us victory and we who think we accomplished the win all by ourselves. Pride expects others to notice and give us the praise we think we deserve.  Praises from people become addictive and can destroy us from the inside out. Our thinking becomes arrogant and our words directive. To hang on to our self-induced confidence we say “off with their heads” as we push those out of our circle of friends if they do not honor us consistently with praise.  But have you noticed what can happen with this attitude?  Pride and arrogance cause our circles of friends and supportive alliances to become smaller and smaller.

David and Joab are warriors, becoming more and more confident with every nation they conquer. But are these leaders still giving God the glory? Is the battle for the good of Israel and the glory of God—or for need of praise?  Read on…there is an underlying battle that has not yet come to the surface.  As we study the next few chapters, look for the seeds of pride beginning to sprout within the heart of David and those he commands.  Soon we will say, “we all see it, David.”  But are we looking for the seeds of pride in own lives as we learn from God’s Word?  Come, Holy Spirit, we all need you!      

1 Chronicles 20

The Capture of Rabbah

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins. ² David took the crown from the head of their king—its weight was found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city ³ and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

War With the Philistines

⁴ In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated.

⁵ In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.

⁶ In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

⁸ These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

THE REST OF THE STORY—

As we study, Warren Wiersbe, Bible scholar and commentator relates that if we look back in 2 Samuel 11:1; 12:29–31 we discover that this account of the war with the Ammonites is briefly mentioned.  It was going on as David committed a sin against God, one of his own commanders of war by lusting after his wife, Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11:2—12:25).  David stayed home from war, full of confidence that his men would overcome the enemy, while the Enemy of God conquered him!  “We all see it, David.”

The heart of David who ran after the heart of God, with the confidence of God with him now followed his own heart that was overcome with selfish desire, lust, for another man’s wife with self-confidence, arrogance, and pride.  Sin expands and leads to death.  Our sin blocks our view of the God who overcomes and wants His best for us.  David grieved the heart of God and His Holy Spriit.  This giant addiction overcame the David’s heart.

What are the “giants” we face daily in our own lives?  Pause, pray, ask God to help us get rid of what is entangling us, blocking our view of righteousness, while paralyzing our relationship with God.  Only the resurrection power of God’s Spirit living in us can help us overcome our addictive behaviors of seeking more praise, pleasing people above pleasing God, and satisfying our own selfish desires. 

God knows what we need before we need it and is ready to help.  God is faithful even when we are not.  God loves us when we do not love ourselves.  Turn to God. Repent in Jesus Name.  Believe and be saved from ourselves!  Give God all the glory always! 

David and his men faced actual giants in their lives and defeated them one after another. Once David had defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17), with God’s strength and mighty help; the giants no longer looked invincible.  This is one of many times in God’s word that encourages us to be spiritually bold in the Name of the Lord!  We also learn that God will most often put us in positions and places so others will gain courage because we have chosen to trust Him in difficult circumstances! 

Boldness with God comes from walking humbly with God.  In this world bold and humble are not used in the same sentence but we are not of this world!  God’s Kingdom thinking is different.  Be boldly different, God helping us!   

Our Giants of addictive sins shrink when measured against God’s greatness. When God is given all the glory and praise in our overcoming of sin; others will begin to see God as we see Him—the One and Only God who reigns and has all authority over all His creation and yet bends down to save us and set us free.

There is NO ONE like our God!

Lord,

Thank you for these thoughts of warning about the enemy’s seeds of pride, arrogance, envy, and self-confidence that replaces our trust and confidence in you. Help us today to rid ourselves of these weeds that entangle us and block our view of You.  Let the beauty of Jesus, who saved us, be seen in us today. To you be all glory, honor, and praise!

In Jesus Name, Amen