II Samuel Chapter 24
Please read: II Samuel 24 –
We are not told exactly why the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, but we can certainly take a broad guess. It is human nature that when everything is going well and life seems easy that people forget about their God. We are not told why David decided it was a good idea to take a census, but it seems that “he” tempted him to do so. We learn in another scripture that the “he” was Satan. God had warned previously back in Exodus, that He did not want them to take a census because the kingdom did not belong to the man sitting on the throne of Israel, but they belonged to God Himself.
1 Chronicles 21:1-2 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
While David was a wonderful man and a great king, we have yet another example that he was not perfect. Because David was in a position of leadership, God required more from him than others. We know that God is so very merciful but there are often consequences for our sin. For David, the leader of all of Israel, the consequence or judgement would be heavy.
Let's Reflect
1. For David, numbering the size of his kingdom was a way to take pride in how large his kingdom was and how great and powerful it had become. Joab tried to discourage him from doing this because he knew it was wrong. Who else tried to discourage him? See verse 4.
2. David’s will prevailed and the counting began. Imagine what a feat this was to take a census of the whole kingdom. How long did it take the men to complete the task?
3. It is certainly astounding to read how many men there were in the kingdom. Of course, the count did not include women and children, only those of fighting age. What did David do when he got the answer he was looking for?
4. A prophet came and spoke to David what God had told him to say to David. It is interesting that God gave David 3 choices of judgement to choose from. It was as if the Father was saying I must punish you for your deliberate sin, but I don’t want to, so you pick which punishment I should deliver to you. The first choice meant that many people would die because of a 3-year famine. David and his family would most likely not be affected because of their riches. The second choice meant many people would die in battle but probably not David because he had been ordered not to fight in battles anymore. The third choice meant that a death plague would come over the whole land for 3 days and there was a possibility it would strike David himself. Which did David choose?
5. Many people died as a direct result of the judgement of God for the sin of David. Imagine how this broke his heart. I believe it was breaking the heart of God too, because He told the angel to stop. Where was the angel when he was given this order?
6. The Bible says that David saw the angel. He asked God to stop striking the people, taking full ownership of his sin. David recognized that he was supposed to be the shepherd of these people not some powerful and prideful king. What did David call the people that were in danger of being stricken dead by the angel? See verse 17.
7. The prophet (or seer) came once again to David. What did he tell David to do?
8. What do we need to do immediately when we realize we have sinned against God? See verse 10.
