When disobedience to man becomes obedience to God

Have you ever been ordered by a superior to do something that was wrong? If so, how did you respond? When unethical orders are followed, bad things are sure to follow.

For example, King David issued a corrupt command during the latter part of his reign, and it resulted in 70,000 men being killed. God allowed Satan to incite David to take a census of the Israelites, (1 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21) and David took Satan's bait. He said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are" (1 Chronicles 21:2).

God did not tell David to take this census, as the Lord had previously done on two occasions with Moses (Numbers 1:1-3; 26:1-4). David made this decision all on his own, and it was "evil in the sight of God" (1 Chron. 21:8). While the Bible does not specify David's exact sin, it appears that pride was the culprit. David was more interested in counting the large number of Israelites than in seeking God's will and promoting God's glory and faithfulness. Large numbers can do that to a person. You start to think that you deserve the credit for the impressive results.

In response to David's evil decision, "the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell dead" (1 Chron. 21:14). Perhaps you are thinking, "Such severe punishment seems unfair. Those men did nothing wrong." Well go back to my original question. Have you ever been ordered to do something unethical? David issued a sinful order to his subordinates. Rather than standing up to the king and refusing to obey his corrupt command, they proceeded to toe the line. After all, they had been conditioned to do whatever the king wanted done.

You may remember that God was not in favor of the Israelites appointing a king in the first place. Less than 70 years earlier, a monumental leadership decision was made. "All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel and said ... Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have" (1 Samuel 8:4). In wanting to be structured like the world, they ignored the fact that they already had a king.

The Lord said to Samuel, "It is not you they have rejected as their king, but me. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do" (1 Sam. 8:7-9). The decision to demand a king not only came back to bite those elders, but it also had deadly consequences for their descendants, as we see in the case of David's census.

Even though Joab tried to steer David away from taking the census, the king pushed ahead with his personal agenda. When Joab and the other leaders in Israel carried out the evil order, they elicited God's wrath and punishment.

It reminds me of the 1992 film "A Few Good Men," where a malevolent order was mindlessly obeyed. Two U.S. Marines were charged with the murder of a fellow Marine after obeying the order given by Base Commander Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson). Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) defended the two Marines who were being court-martialed.

Colonel Jessup issued a "code red" in order to punish Marine William Santiago. This covert command involved "a violent extrajudicial punishment," and is strictly against Marine Corps policy. The two Marines were eventually cleared of the murder charge but were found guilty of "conduct unbecoming." They were ordered to be dishonorably discharged. And Colonel Jessup was arrested after he arrogantly and angrily admitted in court that he had, in fact, issued the code red.

When King David brazenly ordered a census, the men who carried out the evil order became culpable. Like the two Marines in the movie, they obeyed an unrighteous command. It turned out to be a deadly decision. Joab found David's order to be "repulsive," and was so conflicted about the king's command that he "did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering" (1 Chron. 21:6).

Joab and the commanders of the troops should have told David, "Wait a minute. We cannot in good conscience immediately proceed with your dangerous plan. You need to pray about this matter and seek the Lord's will. Do you have God's permission to take this census?" Instead, they implemented the unholy order, as did the leaders of each tribe and each family.

Consider specific times in the Bible when God's people disobeyed a dastardly order. There were the midwives who disobeyed an evil order from the king of Egypt, as they chose to save the male Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:15-21). Likewise, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego disobeyed the order of King Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 3:1-30) When they were thrown into a fiery furnace, God rescued them. God also delivered Daniel when he disobeyed a wicked order concerning prayer and was thrown into the lion's den (Daniel 6:1-28). And when the Sanhedrin ordered Peter and the other apostles to stop teaching about Jesus, they declared, "We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

When a person in authority gives a corrupt order, it takes wisdom and courage for a subordinate to do the right thing. Joab and thousands of men in Israel failed to take a stand against David's terrible decision. They were ensnared by their blind allegiance to their earthly king. This ungodly command to take a census was King David's "code red." It had not been sanctioned by the Lord, and it brought about deadly consequences.

This event in David's life reminds us that whenever someone is used greatly by God, it is natural to become arrogant and self-assured, as opposed to remaining humble and Christ-centered. God used the Apostle Paul in amazing ways, and even gave him extraordinary "visions and revelations" (1 Cor. 12:1). Do you remember how the Lord helped Paul to stay humble? Paul wrote, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me" (1 Cor. 12:7).

God allowed Satan to inflict physical pain upon Paul, and God allowed Satan to incite David to take a census. It was a test for the king, and with his free will he gave into Satan's scheme. David was "a man after God's own heart," (1 Samuel 13:14) and yet men and women who love the Lord can nevertheless fall into sin.

Thankfully, we serve a merciful Savior who not only forgives our sins, but also gives us wisdom when we walk closely with Him. And we can learn a lot from the lives of men and women in the Bible. A humble follower of Jesus wants all eyes on the Lord, and he does not crave recognition or seek the credit for those victories which God brings about in his life. As John the Baptist declared concerning the Messiah: "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).

No man is an island, and no Christian is immune from the possibility of making dishonorable decisions. Like David before us, we are all capable of self-aggrandizing behavior, which is rooted in neither the will of God, nor the glory of God. Such behavior celebrates a man, a woman, or a ministry, but does nothing to advance the glory of God, or the biblical focus on our Redeemer, His cross, and His empty tomb.