A Critical Heart-Check: Has Success Led You to Act Selfishly?

Has success gone to your head and prompted you to act with selfish entitlement?

Word to the God-fearing — our hearts are prone to pridefully wander when we’re blessed. We ought therefore to consider the Scriptures — lest presumption take hold — and consider the landscape of our times.

The Fall of Harvey Weinstein

Last year, the elite media realm was shaken by the abrupt downfall of several of its most celebrated giants.

It all started with noted film producer and Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein, as numerous women he had sexually harassed came forward and exposed his shameful misdeeds. The shocking stories revealed that Weinstein’s predatorial behavior was driven by a sense that his seat of power and influence in Hollywood gave him license to feed his lustful appetite with aspiring female actors in exchange for giving them a chance at a big break. “Pay-to-play” was Weinstein’s evil game, and “cooperation with him” was presented as a way to get ahead.¹

Before 2017, Weinstein’s exploits in the world of film were widely heralded and acclaimed. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II of England awarded him the honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the film industry.² French President Nicolas Sarkozy bestowed on him the French Legion of Honor as well at a private ceremony in Paris in 2012.³ That same year, Time Magazine named Weinstein as one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People,” recognizing him among other “icons who are defining the world” as we know it.⁴ But, last October, it all came crashing down for this film mogul, as women who had been in his web of seduction in years past blew the whistle on his sordid m.o.⁵

The exposure of Weinstein broke a dam of silence that soon brought other media heavyweights to open disrepute and scorn. In the months that followed, Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey, respected news anchor Charlie Rose, and longtime Today Show host Matt Lauer were all sacked and shunned when it was publicly revealed that they sought sexual favors from underlings, using their positions of power to menace others and protect themselves.⁶

Brothers and Sisters, Beware: You Can Easily Fall Prey to Prideful Presumption

The public reckoning that has come to these men as their exploitative actions were found out has caused no small shake-up to the status quo. In fact, a number of media outlets named these explosive abuse cases as 2017’s “Story of the Year.”⁷

Yet as the hub-bub surrounding these lurid revelations has dominated news cycles and social media chatter over the last six months, what has been the response of the people of God to these scandals? Have we reacted as self-righteous Pharisees as those beyond our personal orbit have been humbled, or have we, instead, carefully examined the deepest caverns of our own hearts for any sin of presumption that may lurk there — be it lust, anger, bitterness, lying, stealing, gossip, covetousness, dishonor, vanity, the fear of man, or some other vice?

Admittedly, it’s natural for these stories of fallen media titans to seem far removed from us, as we’re not at the helm of a major media company or news program and don’t have a high-paying, influential job in Manhattan or Hollywood. It’s also easy for us to dismiss the self-serving license these men have evidenced as the natural roguery of unconverted pagans. None of them claim to be Christians, after all, so what else should we expect?

But, brothers and sisters, beware: The testimony of the Scriptures makes clear that a selfish sense of entitlement is a sin that God’s people can easily fall prey to in prideful presumption. As a matter of fact, some of the greatest and godliest men in the biblical record responded, in specific instances, with self-exalting pride to the success and victories God granted them, prompting His direct judgment on their delusional folly. A cadre of the most remarkable kings of Israel and Judah, for example, whom God called “good” — including Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah — are prime exhibits of this sad reality.⁸ And the greatest of them all — King David, the warrior-poet from Bethlehem — is arguably the most significant and startling illustration of this truth in all of history, so it behooves us now to consider his testimony.⁹

King David: An Inspiring Man with One of History’s Greatest Legacies

Before looking at David’s failures, it’s only fitting to highlight his greatness. Who could not be gripped by this amazing man’s life? David’s story, for good reason, has captured the imagination of millions throughout the centuries. His courageous faceoff and defeat of the giant Goliath, while still a young and unknown shepherd, is the stuff of legend that has inspired the hearts of countless boys, and his beautiful words of comfort and hope in such passages as the 23^rd Psalm have been recited and sung in a myriad of languages. Called a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), his record as a warrior, a poet, a visionary, and a king is unparalleled in the annals of men.

More than this, though, we must recognize that David is one of the central and most important characters in God’s redemptive plan for the ages. Other than God Himself, his name is invoked more than any other person in the Bible — 968 times, in fact — with hardly a close second.¹⁰ Not only did David write 75 of the 150 psalms and possess an inspired vision to build a glorious temple for Jehovah, but he established a dynasty, ordained by God Himself (1 Sam. 16:1-13; 2 Sam. 7:8-17), that would culminate with the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would bring salvation to the world.

As time would reveal, both Joseph and Mary were to come from David’s line (Matt. 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38), and the angel Gabriel emphasized to Mary the throne her son would inherit through his lineage:

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)

What a remarkable man! What an inspiring testimony of God’s unfolding work!

David Lustfully Violates God’s Law Long before Bathsheba

With David’s greatness freely acknowledged, there were strains of evil in his life we must now grapple with in order to better understand how easily that we, too, can falter when God grants us blessing and success.

While it may come as a surprise to some, David’s self-serving and lustful heart did not first manifest itself in his adultery with Bathsheba. It was on full display when he established the new capital city of Jerusalem after God gave him full command of Israel following years of civil war. 2 Samuel 5 draws the matter into focus:

And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake. And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. (2 Sam. 5:12-13)

The problem here is this: David’s act of marrying more wives upon becoming firmly established as Israel’s king was in direct violation of God’s revealed law, given by Moses centuries before:

Thou shalt . . . set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose . . . But he shall not multiply horses to himself. . . . Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away. . . .” (Deut. 17:15, 16, 17)

David plainly broke this commandment, and the most telling insight into his presumptuousness is found in the obvious flow of the text of 2 Samuel 5, which bears repeating, with emphasis: “And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake. And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem . . .” (2 Sam. 5:12-13).

The Lesson in a Nutshell

The lesson here should be apparent: Success and blessing — even when it’s clearly recognized to be a work of God — can prompt pride and presumptuous sins on the part of the blessed. It can lead men to accommodate their vices, as if they’re above the law, rather than to quell them in the fear of the Lord. While the receipt of long-sought-for blessings should cause men to pursue holiness with greater fervor, it sometimes leads them to be less earnest toward holiness instead, with their newfound blessings used as license for complacency and the selfish pursuit of the flesh.

This takeaway should also be clear: When success comes, you don’t have to be a brutish pagan to succumb to selfish behavior. It’s the natural inclination of every man — including the unperfected redeemed.

Sin Does Not Stay Static: When Left Unchecked, It Only Grows Worse and Brings Painful Consequences

Taking the larger view, David’s sin trajectory needs to be understood for what it was. It must be plainly recognized that, in the early period of his reign, he had a lust problem which he did not hold in check. Rather than abide by God’s prohibition against a polygamous harem, David embraced this common practice of the pagan kings of his day.¹¹ And, significantly, like all unforsaken sins that men coddle, it did not stay static (James 1:14-16). It grew worse and worse and brought woeful bad fruit to bear through his unconscionable adultery with Bathsheba and his subsequent order to have her husband Uriah put in a position to be slain (2 Sam. 11).

A related lesson from this dark blot on David’s record is important to note. Whatever else good we might do, we will still reap what we sow whenever sin is countenanced (Gal. 6:7-8). While David sincerely repented following his confrontation by the Prophet Nathan (Ps. 51), there were huge and painful consequences for his moral failures. Nathan foretold that the Lord as judgment for his perfidy would “raise up evil against” him from within the ranks of his very own family (2 Sam. 12:11). And so it came to pass. As I have written elsewhere on this period of David’s life:

One by one, David’s sons rebelled and brought shame to the house of their father. Rape and murder ravaged the royal family as David’s firstborn son Amnon took advantage of his half-sister Tamar, only to meet his own doom at the hand of David’s third-born son Absalom two years later. When his father failed to treat him as a man and bring his wrongdoing to justice, Absalom grew more bitter still and staged an all-out rebellion against him, garnering military forces in opposition to David’s army and eventually defiling his father’s very bed with David’s concubines “in the sight of all of Israel” (2 Sam. 16:22). . . . [Later] on his deathbed, David was on the verge of seeing his legacy lost. While he lay ailing, his fourth-born son Adonijah was wreaking more havoc on the royal family, seeking to seize the crown for himself. . . . ¹²

Oh, dear readers — please humbly consider these disastrous consequences whenever you are tempted to act with selfish presumption! Sin’s effects are real and despicable and can grievously wreck our witness and our families. God may see fit to save us from the worst, but we should not presume upon his mercy if we continue on in prideful obstinacy.

By God’s merciful grace, King David ended his life well and strong, establishing his son Solomon as his rightful heir (1 Kings 1:28-2:12; 1 Chron. 28-29). Yet by letting the success God granted him years earlier go to his head, this “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14) left an ugly mark that tainted an otherwise great legacy.

The Good News: David’s Powerful Prayer against Presumptuous Sins

Despite this lamentable bad news, the encouraging good news for our benefit today is that David came to realize his own weakness for selfish presumption and left a poignant prayer on the matter that is instructive to our fallible souls. It is found in Psalm 19, a key portion of which is as follows:

Keep back thy servant . . . from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:13-14)

Take careful note that David acknowledged himself not as some lost pagan, but as God’s appointed “servant,” making the unmistakable point that God’s people are not immune from presumptuous folly. The word “presumptuous” itself is also important to understand. Commentator Albert Barnes gives this elaboration of the term’s meaning:

The [Hebrew] word — “zed” — means properly that which is boiling, swelling, inflated; then proud, arrogant; with the accessory notion of shameless wickedness or impiety. . . . The prevailing thought is that of pride, and the reference is particularly to sins which proceed from self-confidence; from reliance on one’s own strength.¹³

The great irony in David’s life is that it was upon realizing that God had “exalted” him that he bowed to his sinful flesh (2 Sam. 5:12-13). Though it’s hard to fully explain this irrational disconnect, there is some kind of misplaced self-confidence and senseless pride that can easily set in and cloud our judgment when God blesses us, that leads us, in turn, to act with a selfish sense of entitlement, spurning His law to appease our evil desires. It is this blinding toxin of “presumptuous sins” that David prayed would “not have dominion over” him, and so should we.

Charles Spurgeon offered this pointed summary which we should soberly take to heart:

[David’s] earnest and humble prayer teaches us that saints may fall into the worst of sins unless restrained by grace, and that therefore they must watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. There is a natural proneness to sin in the best of men, and they must be held back as a horse is held back by the bit or they will run into it.¹⁴

Conclusion

Redeemed or not, all men are weak and prone to wander when any modicum of success comes. And we need not be a rich king or a powerful media titan to yield to such presumptuous pride.

We again note Spurgeon’s words:

Pride is a strange creature; it never objects to its lodgings. It will live comfortably enough in a palace, and it will live equally at its ease in a hovel. Is there any man in whose heart pride does not lurk?¹⁵

Whether our estate be high or low, the honor of the holy God who rescues unworthy sinners should compel us to put self aside — to “make [no] provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:14).

We will reap what we sow, despite the pretend alternative we want to believe (Gal. 6:7-8). So let us not kid ourselves that, when we arrogantly choose self over God, we will escape His chastening hand. We dare not think, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart” (Deut. 29:19). Far from it. The woeful consequences David suffered when he appeased his flesh should grip our souls and spur us on to faithfulness.

For the honor of our Lord, let us humbly call to Him to “keep [us] back . . . from presumptuous sins” (Ps. 19:13). May the cry of our in-most being be that of David’s: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).