The devil made me do it. This common phrase has worked its way deeply into our American vernacular. The phrase being a concept that the devil infiltrates our minds, psyches, and emotions to the point that he can manipulate us like a marionette on a string. The concept vividly reminds me of the classic cartoon Tom and Jerry. Tom in his relentless pursuit of Jerry would eventually find himself in some decisional conundrum and poof, there they were, those two little figures, the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. They would both talk into Tom’s ear to give him the advice that laid on their respective hearts. The angel would advise him to do what was right no matter the loss of personal satisfaction or the cost to his cause. But that little guy with the red cape and the tiny pitchfork was quite the presence to contend with. The devil said to do the fun stuff. The devil said to do what felt good. The devil would tell Tom to eat that fresh baked apple pie that sat all alone in the windowsill, even though it did not belong to him. And after Tom succumbed to the advice of the little red guy, he had the perfect excuse for his behavior. The devil made me do it.
Today I see many Christians struggle with this concept. When they find themselves embroiled in sin, they ask, who do I blame? We live in a culture today where taking personal responsibility and blaming yourself is not popular in the least. I mean, come on, standing in front of the mirror and pointing the finger of accusation at yourself is hard and unpleasant, it’s much easier to pass the buck and blame someone else. And the devil is a very easy target.
Today we see an interesting retelling of David’s biggest sin against God. Most people would quickly go to David's sin with Bathsheba because of its scandalous nature, but God sees our sin much different than mankind does. We see a sin of the flesh, but God looks deeper. God looks for a sin of the heart, He looks at the root of our sin, the sin of pride.
King David finds himself rid of his enemies, enjoying a time of peace, and seeing the kingdom of Israel growing. All direct blessings from the hand of God. But David looks out upon a flourishing kingdom and takes a little ownership in the prosperity. He sees the people multiplying and he wants to take a census. David wants to count the people and see how many there are. Now most of us today would immediately dismiss this as an innocent census, but for David it was a direct violation of God’s law. For David, his personal desire to count the people would bring disaster upon them.
We find God’s law and reasoning concerning census taking in Exodus.
“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.” Exodus 30:12
This verse speaks of God’s ownership and claim to His people. He created them and He knew exactly how many there were. He would only allow man to count them if He had a purpose for man to know. You see, in this ancient culture a man only had the authority to count what he owned, and David did not own or control the Israelites, God did. But yet here sits David, commanding a census be taken that took over ten months to complete. (1 Samuel 24:5-9) He had time to stop, he had time to reconsider, he even had his generals directly oppose his plan, but David forged ahead in his census. But why? David had a heart after God’s heart, why would this man fly in the face of God and directly oppose His law in this magnitude?
The very first verse concerning David’s census taking in 1 Chronicles is this:
“Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” 1 Chronicles 21:1
So, the devil made David do it, right? The verse seems pretty clear. A little red horned guy with a tail swooped down and sat on David’s shoulder and whispered the census idea into his ear? If so, then wouldn’t it release David from all responsibility to God for the decision? But before we get too far into this ideology, let’s peruse a very interesting verse that covers this same event back in 2 Samuel.
“Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 Samuel 24:1
The anger of the Lord burned against Israel and as a result He allowed David to be “stirred up” against them, encouraging the census. So, what we see here is that God controls the access that satan has upon his people. God, in His righteous anger, allowed satan access to David to influence his decision. As a result, God would judge a people that had previously defied and rejected His law. This reminds me of the book of Job and its heartbreaking first few chapters. God allows satan access to everything in Job’s life except the taking of his life. Satan runs Job through a gauntlet of tumult and anguish, all the while Job refuses to curse a God that he treasures in His heart. The book of Job ends in victory but the story itself holds a message that we continue to struggle with as much as Job did.
The devil didn’t make David conduct the census. And the devil didn’t make Tom eat that pie. Satan makes recommendations into our lives but it’s always our personal decision of whether or not to fire those synapses and move our bodies in the direction of sin. The temptation to sin is always present, satan will make sure of that, but the difference in righteousness before God, is what you do with that temptation. Today, only look to the Lord, live in His truth, yearn for His ways, and love His Law. And the next time that little devil shows up on your shoulder whispering into your ear, simply ask Him to leave in the name of Jesus Christ.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
“When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” James 1:13
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