Daily Devotional
Proverbs 19:2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
We often hear take action, take action, take action and while nothing is wrong with that, consideration should be given to the fact that taking the wrong action could mess everything up. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul took the wrong action and it messed things up for him. In his haste to respond to the threat of the large Philistine army, he decided to offer the burnt offering himself rather than wait for Samuel, who was the priest, to arrive. As a result of taking the wrong action, he was told in 1 Samuel 13:14 that his kingdom would not continue. David too took the wrong action. In His zeal to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he gathered 30,000 chosen men to carry out the job, because he was not aware that it was a task for the Levites and the priests. The operation went well until Uzzah stretched his hand to prevent the Ark of the Covenant from falling off the cart it was being carried on. As a consequence, Uzzah was immediately struck dead because only the priests and Levites were allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant. Although David’s action was driven by a passion for God, it was the wrong action and it resulted in the death of a person.
What could David have done differently to ensure that he did not take the wrong action? He should have gathered the necessary knowledge required to complete the operation successfully. He became aware of what was required and stated in 1 Chronicles 15:2 that “none ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God”. Accordingly, he instructed the Levites and priests to sanctify themselves and had them bear the Ark of Covenant on their shoulders, which was another requirement of God. Needless to say that the operation was a successful one the second time around because David possessed the knowledge necessary to take the right action.
It is because of experiences like what David had the first time that he tried to bring up the Ark of the Covenant why Proverbs 19:2 says, “that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good”. The message the scripture is communicating is to avoid acting without having the necessary knowledge. Why is this important? Taking hasty action without knowledge will lead to error. That is implied in the part of the scripture that said, “he that hasteth with his feet sinneth”. Rather than rush to take action as is suggested, slow down to ensure that you are taking the right action.
Life Application: Slow down to take the right action by gathering as much information as possible about what you are about to venture into.
Prayer: Father, help me to not rush to do anything that requires time and proper assessment. Help me to take the right actions and necessary steps to fulfill your mission. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Devotional 
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