Title: Selfish Ambition: What Not To Do!
Introduction
As we looked in our last Bible Study what constitutes the difference between ambition that God approves and selfish ambition. Today we will look at examples of bad examples from the scriptures that showed how selfish ambition led to many people’s downfalls.
Point 1. The Example of Absalom.
In 2 Samuel 13-18 we read. Absalom was the third son of King David. His mother was a pagan named Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur.
The Bible tells us Absalom was extremely handsome and he knew it. Yet Absalom was so vain that whenever he cut his hair, he would weigh it and obviously let everyone know about it. Why? The Bible tells us its weight was usually about five pounds, and I am sure that fact brought much glory to Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:1 tells us that “in the course of time” Absalom began to put himself forward as the hope of Israel. In a clever, crooked, sly, subtle way he began to spread his message: “Look at me! I am Absalom, God’s gift for Israel.”
How did he do this? The Bible tells us Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses and had fifty men who ran ahead of him to praise and applaud him wherever he went. Absalom was a born politician, he was tall, hardworking, handsome and good with words. Everyday he would stand at the gates with his military might exclaiming the negatives of his father’s kingdom proving to be a better leader than he.
Why do you think Absalom did all these things? Because Absalom wanted to be king. There was only one problem: it was not God’s will for Absalom to be king. A selfishly ambitious person wants very much to achieve that which God denies.
Absalom knew God had called Solomon, not Absalom, to succeed David, but that knowledge did not stop Absalom.
The Bible tells us that at the end of four years years all of Israel had turned against David. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel from their legitimate king, David, who was the true man after God’s own heart and the one whom God had chosen to lead his people. Even Ahithophel, David’s trusted counselor, defected.
So in 2 Samuel 15 we read how Absalom went to Hebron and made himself king. He knew God did not want him to become king, but he ignored God. “I won! See, I have become king!” But God was for David and against Absalom. So God caused Absalom to ignore the good counsel of Ahithophel and he did not attack David when he was weary and weak.
In 2 Samuel 17:14 we read, “Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.‘”
Why do you think they said that? The writer gives us the reason: “For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.”
We need to learn from this and counsel every person who is inclined to be selfishly ambitious that in the same way God will frustrate their plans and bring disaster upon them.
When Absalom finally attacked David and his army in the forest of Ephraim east of the Jordan River, he quickly realized that his selfish ambition could not compete with God’s sovereignty.
2 Samuel 18:9 Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
Absalom, this tall, popular, handsome, eloquent leader, was left by himself hanging by his hair in the forest. Everyone had deserted him. Even his own mule left him. He who had said, “I am not worried about God’s purposes and ordination. I will make myself king,” found himself caught by his own hair and deserted by all.
When Joab found Absalom hanging in the tree he ignored David’s words. He plunged three javelins into the heart of the hanging Absalom. Then Joab’s men killed Absalom, cut him down from the tree, and put him into a pit. They piled rocks over him, thus burying him as a criminal, not as a king’s son. The destruction of Absalom is a warning to all of us. Selfish ambition cannot compete with divine sovereignty.
There is bitter fruit from selfish ambition.
Point 2. The Example of Adonijah.
Adonijah is David’s fourth son, Adonijah’s name means “Jehovah is Lord,” and we read about him in 1 Kings 1-2.
By the time of Adonijah’s rebellion David was old, senile and dying. Even though Adonijah was the fourth son of David, by this time he was the oldest because all his older brothers were dead. Amnon had been killed by Absalom, Absalom had been killed by Joab, and a third older brother seems to have died by then also.
1 Kings 1:5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
What was Adonijah doing? Practicing selfish ambition through trickery.
Well, as we learned from Absalom, what does a selfishly ambitious person have to do to become king? He must acquire some chariots, horses, and men. Note to self, do not imitate unspiritual brothers, even if they do become King, remember the outcome of their whole life, not just their short term victories.
Then we read something very significant for fathers, physical and spiritual fathers. 1 Kings 1:6 His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom. From this we may conclude that Adonijah never received the discipline and accountability (discipling) that every physical and spiritual child needs.
He was also very handsome.” What else could Israel want in a king? Adonijah was the eldest son, he was very handsome, and he had horses, chariots, and fifty men. But there was one problem, and Adonijah knew it. It was not God’s will for Adonijah to be king. Adonijah’s younger brother Solomon was God’s choice to succeed his father David.
Did any of that matter to Adonijah? No. Like Absalom, Adonijah was full of selfish ambition. So we can imagine what he was thinking:
- “I don’t care about Solomon. Am I not handsome? Am I not the oldest son? Don’t I have chariots, horses and fifty men? Am I not a go-getter?
- Don’t I know how to win friends and influence people? Am I not a born politician?
- Don’t I have the support of some very powerful people, including Joab the general and Abiathar the priest?”
So Adonijah pushed himself forward in the strength of his flesh over against God’s sovereignty, God’s purposes and God’s ordination. At the spring of En Rogel, just south of Jerusalem, he proclaimed himself king.
Again, selfish ambition cannot compete with God’s sovereignty.
God used the prophet Nathan at just the right moment to cause the senile, dying David to come alive so that he could fulfill God’s eternal purpose and anoint Solomon as king.
When Adonijah heard of Solomon’s anointing, he was panic-stricken and ran to take hold of the horns of the altar for safety. King Solomon spared him from death at that time with the stipulation that he would submit to Solomon for the rest of his life. But soon Adonijah rebelled against that rule. Adonijah asked Solomon if he could marry Abishag, David’s concubine. That may sound like an innocuous request, but in reality Adonijah was trying to stake his claim for the throne.
Solomon knew what Adonijah was doing, so Adonijah was killed, thus tasting the bitter fruit of selfish ambition.
1 Kings 2:23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: 'May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! And now, as surely as the Lord lives, he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!'"
Point 3. The Example of Saul.
1 Samuel 9:2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
Not only was Saul tall, but he was also politically astute, and God appointed him as the military leader of Israel. But Saul was also selfishly ambitious.
Pagan rulers at that time were both kings and priests at the same time. Saul was interested in implementing such a consolidation of power in Israel as well. But there was one problem: God appointed Saul to be king, but he also appointed Samuel to be the religious leader.
Saul wanted to be both king and priest, the sole ruler, just like the pagan kings. Motivated by selfish ambition, he did not want to submit to God’s plan because he thought it was too restrictive and constraining to be just a military leader.
Thus, Saul did not worry about obeying Samuel’s instructions when Samuel told him to wait for him to offer sacrifices, as we read in 1 Samuel 13. In defiance of Samuel, Saul offered sacrifices before Samuel came. Later on Samuel told Saul to utterly defeat and destroy the Amalekites and execute God’s justice upon them.
Again, Saul rebelled and spared the Amalekite king, Agag, and some of the livestock. Saul’s selfish ambition surfaced again when he built a monument for himself (1 Samuel15:12).
After all of these things God rejected Saul as king. In 1 Samuel 16 we read that the Holy Spirit departed from him and an evil spirit came upon him. He began to desire to kill David, even though he knew David was God’s own choice. This is the nature of selfish ambition, a selfishly ambitious person might even kill his own mother or father to put himself forward.
This behavior in church can be found in slandering others, talking about other people’s failures, pulling them down, knowingly or unknowingly destroying their reputation while building yours up. But as we saw in the cases of Absalom and Adonijah, selfish ambition cannot compete with God’s sovereignty. After being defeated by the Philistine army on Mount Gilboa, Saul committed suicide.
Saul experienced the bitter fruit of selfish ambition.
Point 4. The Example of Korah.
We find another example of selfish ambition in the account of Korah and his followers in Numbers 16.
Korah was a Levite who had a very good ministry, that of transporting the furniture of God’s tabernacle, but he was not satisfied with God’s calling for him. Korah was restless, unhappy, and dissatisfied. He was full of envy and jealousy, and was constantly grumbling about God’s gifts and calling for his life.
Why? In his selfish ambition Korah wanted something else. What was it? Moses’ job.
What do you suppose Korah was thinking? No doubt it was something like this:
- Who does this Moses think he is? I’m just as good as he is.
- I could do the job Moses is doing.
- In fact, I think I would do a better job than Moses.
The Bible tells us that Korah stirred up many leaders in Israel and caused them to join him in his opposition to Moses. However, there was one problem: God was for Moses, not Korah.
So in Numbers 16:8-11 Moses confronted Korah and his followers and told them:
Numbers 16:8-11 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him? ”
God will deal with all selfishly ambitious people.
The selfish ambition of Korah was dashed to pieces upon the solid rock of God’s sovereignty.
Moses enthused God to deal with the issue and make it clear.
Numbers 16:25-30 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, 'Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.' So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents. Then Moses said, 'This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.
Then we find that is exactly what happened:
Numbers 16:31-33 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.
Korah and his followers tasted the bitter fruit of selfish ambition.
Point 5. The Example of Joab.
Joab was a nephew of King David, although David and Joab were probably the same age.
Joab had a very high and powerful job as the general of King David’s army, yet in his lifetime he cruelly murdered two innocent generals, Abner and Amasa, to protect his own power and position.
Why do you think he acted that way? Because Joab was filled with selfish ambition.
Before David died he told his son Solomon to deal with Joab, as we read in 1 Kings 2:5-6.
1 Kings 2:28 we read that Joab “ran into the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar” to flee from Solomon. But he was cut down there according to the instructions David had given to Solomon.
Joab received the bitter fruit of his selfish ambition.
Point 6. The Example of Shimei.
In 2 Samuel 16 we read about a Benjamite named Shimei who cursed David as David fled from Absalom’s army.
Shimei was also filled with selfish ambition. Because Shimei was from Saul’s clan and was hoping that Saul’s dynasty would come back to power. He cursed David and threw rocks at him when he saw him fleeing from Absalom.
But David, not Saul, was God’s anointed king, and so God dealt with Shimei eventually for his actions against David. Before he died David gave Solomon clear instructions about how to deal with Shimei, and in 1 Kings 2:46 we read that Shimei was killed when he failed to live within the restrictions Solomon had placed on him.
Shimei also tasted the bitter fruit of selfish ambition.
Point 7. The Example of Uzziah.
In 2 Chronicles 26 we find another example of selfish ambition in King Uzziah of Judah.
Uzziah became king of Judah when he was just sixteen years old and ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. In the early part of his reign Uzziah became very powerful with God’s help but his response to God’s blessings led to his downfall.
2 Chronicles 26:16 After Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.
God had exalted Uzziah and made him a great king, powerful, famous, rich, skillful, and a great military strategist. However Uzziah was not satisfied by his power, wealth, and fame as king of Judah. He also wanted to be the chief priest.
Uzziah was afflicted with the same disease that afflicted Saul, the desire to be like the pagan rulers and consolidate all political and religious power in himself. He wanted to get rid of all the priests and be the sole authority. He was selfishly ambitious, in other words, desiring that which God did not intend for him to have.
What did Uzziah do to achieve his goal?
2 Chronicles 26:16 He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Uzziah knew this was not the job of the king of Israel, but in his desire to be high priest, he went beyond what God had called him to do.
However, God stirred godly men to confront and disciple him.
2 Chronicles 26:17-18 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”
Did Uzziah listen to the priests? No, he resisted them and so in God’s sovereignty judgment came upon him.
2 Chronicles 26:19-20 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.
Then we read a final, sad statement.
2 Chronicles 26:21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house —leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
Uzziah tasted the bitter fruit of selfish ambition.
Conclusion.
In these accounts we see the damage and destruction of selfish ambition and also the sovereignty of God, let us make a decision today to:
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Selfish ambition and godly ambition represent two different paths in life. Selfish ambition seeks self-exaltation, often through deceit and manipulation, and can lead to destruction and separation from God. On the other hand, godly ambition seeks to align one’s goals with God’s will, focusing on humility, service, and building God’s kingdom. The examples provided in this discussion highlight the consequences of selfish ambition, while also showing the transformative power of turning away from it. In summary, the Bible encourages us to have ambition in service to God and others, rather than pursuing selfish ambition that seeks to elevate oneself at the expense of others.