“The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him (…).” Psalm 33:16–19

The statement of David above may be either a revelation he received from God or a lesson he learned through experience during his walk with God, as will be explained below.

When we think of King David, the first thing that comes to the minds of many of us is his battle with Goliath. In that encounter, David drew from his experience fighting lions and bears, but above all, he placed his trust in God: “Y ou come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). Even before this declaration, David had already expressed his faith to King Saul, saying, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37) . These are clear evidences of his reliance on God at the beginning of his public life after his anointing by the prophet.

Unfortunately, later in his life, David seemed to trivialize that reliance on God when he opened a door to Satan, who then incited him. The Bible states that “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1). This incitement caused David to act without seeking God’s counsel. He ordered Joab to conduct the census instead of consulting the Lord, in whom he had previously placed his trust. Joab attempted to discourage him, understanding that David’s action was motivated by military concerns and fear of his enemies, but his efforts were in vain.

As a result, God brought judgment upon Israel through a plague, not merely as punishment, but as a correction because David had begun to rely on the size of his army rather than on the Lord, as he had done in the past.

Brothers and sisters, no one is immune to the danger of self-reliance. This same danger threatens all of us: relying on our own abilities, strength, beauty, or intelligence instead of on God. My prayer is that God may protect us all from any incitement of Satan that would lead us to trust in material or human resources rather than in our Lord Jesus Christ.