Protecting Our Image

When David came to the valley of Elah, he was concerned about the "uncircumcised Philistine" the giant Goliath, and the reproach that he brought to God by his boasting.  No one had stepped up to accept the challenge for the Lord.  David, motivated  for God's glory, stood and defeated this blow-hard.

Later, David's sin with Bathsheba, was a reason that the enemies could blaspheme against the Lord.

What happened?  David went from concern that no one would stand up for God, to actually being the one to bring shame to God!

One clue might be found in the aftermath, he instructed Joab to send Uriah, Bathsheba's husband to his death and then when informed about it, he told Joab "Let not this thing displease thee..."  He was concerned how Joab would view his treacherous actions, how his IMAGE would be in the eyes of Joab.  He was not concerned about how he looked in God's eyes!  Note that the bible used the same word a few verses later... "The thing that David did displeased the Lord."

We enter dangerous territory when we are more concerned about what man thinks,  then about what God thinks of us.   When we are thinking about our image and about what our peers think, instead of what will bring glory to God, we are certain to misstep.

It is this image consciousness that prevents us from doing some of the things that God beckons us to do.  We are concerned how others might react to our actions.  "What will they think?" Let us pray that God delivers us from that question and instead we ask the more important one: "What will HE (God) think?"

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