Recovery Devotional 283 The Sin of Passivity

JMD Devotional 284 1 Kings 1:5,6 The Sin of Passivity

Then Adonijah son of [David's wife] Haggith exalted himself, saying, I [the eldest living son] will be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run before him.

David his father had never in his life displeased him by asking, Why have you done so? He was also a very attractive man and was born after Absalom.

King David knew full well that God had chosen his son Solomon to succeed him, but he chose to be passive and permissive with his other ambitious sons. His lack of action with Absolom nearly cost him his life and the kingdom, his looking the other way concerning Adjonijah could have resulted in Bathsheba and Solomon and a host of other officials being slain as he vied for the throne. What leads men to retreat into passivity? Dread of conflict (cowardice?) Desire to please one’s mate over God (idolatry?) The fear of man (short-sightedness?) Or ignorance of our responsibility (God’s expectations of us?) God requires a proactive obedience.

Proverbs 24:11,12 (AMP) Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom]. If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?

Proverbs 3:27 (AMP) Withhold not good from those to whom it is due [its rightful owners], when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

Proverbs 31:8,9 (AMP) Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; Open your mouth, judge righteously, and administer justice for the poor and needy.

Proverbs 29:7 (AMP) The [consistently] righteous man knows and cares for the rights of the poor, but the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

Proverbs 25:21,22 (AMP) If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Proverbs 28:23 (AMP) He who rebukes a man shall afterward find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue.

Dear God,

Timidity, indecisiveness and passivity are not very inspiring, and they do not do justice to Your design. You created humanity to lead, subdue and to manage this planet. Help us to be strong and courageous, to resist evil, to endure ridicule, to sacrifice bravely, and to face any obstacle for the sake of Your righteousness. May we recognize that the glory evident in faithful action well reflects Your latent image in us, and returns glory to Your name.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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