Have you ever made a bad decision after you finally got over the result of a previous bad decision? My wife once baked a chicken pot pie on a cold winter day. Unfortunately, the dish turned out less than excellent. To ensure she never tried it again, she wrote across the page: BAD POT PIE RECIPE—DO NOT COOK! That’s one way to avoid a repeat mistake.

Late in his life, after massive fallout and pain from previous bad decisions, David decided to count the fighting men of Israel and Judah. While a census was not sinful in itself, this situation represented the height of ambition and pride in David. Joab his commander found the order odious, but David overruled him.

A prophet named Gad revealed the Lord’s anger to David. The consequences of his sin followed when a plague struck the land, killing thousands. David responded with humility and remorse: I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.

As king, David’s bad decisions cost the lives of innocent people. Just as powerfully, his contrition stayed the hand of the Lord. My decisions, while not as far reaching, imprint those around me. Every decision of consequence influences others, for good for for ill. The ripples carry farther than we imagine.

I notice the pushback from Joab as well. A good friend speaks truth into our rash decisions. Although pride pushes me forward, pausing to consider words contrary to my plans usually results in a better decision, or rethinking a bad idea.

What do I learn from David? To avoid one bad decision after another. But when I rush forward and pay the price, I realize that humility and remorse mark the only path out.

2 Samuel 24 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Lubo Minar

I own a lot of tools, but I don’t own any that’s flawless. Two vehicles sit in my garage, both in good running order, but far from flawless. I never provided my wife with a stash of jewels, and the diamond in her engagement ring falls far short of flawless. None of the work I do reaches the level of flawless.

Since it’s baseball season, I thought of pitching a perfect game. A perfect game means the pitcher faces the minimum number of batters (27), and gets each one out, with no one reaching base for any reason. A perfect game = flawless. In the history of major league baseball, with over 218,400 games played, only 23 pitchers threw a perfect game. Flawless remains a high standard.

The psalmist writes: As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless.

If I want to spend time taking in valuable ideas, then the flawless word of God is the place to start. When I think of the time I spend watching TV, or reading articles on my phone, or worst of all, skimming social media, I get an idea of my investments in the faulty.

Social media has proven itself the most powerful disseminator of ignorance in human history. Why should I spend more time that absolutely necessary swimming in such dishwater?

The average internet user spends almost two and a half hours per day on social media. If I keep that habit over the next twenty years, I’ll spend two years on social media. I find that startling—is that really how I want to waste two years?

Compare such frittering to time spent in the word of God. Filthy versus flawless. Fortunately, even small chunks of scripture go a long way. Time in the flawless word of the Lord always benefits me and those around me.

Psalm 18 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Edgar Soto

At times I read something that just makes me sad. Like the end of the list of David’s mighty men, the greatest warriors in all of Israel. The last name in the lineup?

Uriah the Hittite.

David’s adultery with Bathsheba was bad, and his subsequent ordering of the murder of her husband was even worse. The fact that David killed one of his own warriors, a man committed to the king and country, shows the heinous nature of his crime.

Few commit the blatantly evil sins of David. But I am guilty of sacrificing others in small ways to get what I want. What David had the power to do so on a large scale, I do in miniature regularly.

Fortunately, I see the depths of God’s grace in the story of David. Which reminds me of his grace towards me and you. Which reminds me to take time to treat those around me with value, not simple as means to get what I want.

2 Samuel 23 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Philippe AWOUTERS

One of the joys of travel for me involves trying new food. Sometimes I eat things just because they’re weird and I’m a tourist, like deep fried scorpions on a stick (they crunch like popcorn hulls), But normally I find a table featuring fresh, local cuisine to sample. A major part of experiencing and enjoying and remembering a place involves tasting.

David encourages us to taste and see that the Lord is good. I mostly think of experiencing the Lord through other senses. I read the Bible and ponder the Lord. I walk paths in the mountains and feel the breeze and watch the sky. Recently on a hike I heard pines creaking and whistling as the wind pushed them back and forth.

Taste involves a deeper commitment. I see and hear and feel things with the outside of my body, but tasting requires putting something into my mouth—ingesting it. What if it tastes awful and I spit it out? Or, what if it tastes sweet but is actually poisonous? What if is carries pathogens that make me sick (like the tiny little silver fish I ate in Malaysia that wreaked havoc in my bowels)?

One more concern—what if what I taste is addictive? When David invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good, I believe that’s exactly what he had in mind. When you ingest the words and ways of the Lord, when your soul tastes of His goodness, you’ll want more.

You’ll get hooked.

Occasionally certain dishes return to mind, like a fantastic pasta finished in a wheel of parmesan I enjoyed once in San Diego. Although out of my reach, it lingers in my memory. If I ever get close to that restaurant again, I’ll go get me some more. That’s the type of tasting David hopes you and I experience.

Taste and see that the Lord is good—then dip in for seconds.

Psalm 34 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022