Bible Study from Calvary Chapel Newberg
with Tom Fuller
Mistakes of man and the Mercy of God
2 Samuel 24:1-25
This is one of the most perplexing chapters in this book and one that has frankly stumped me for a long time. My main questions of this chapter are: what was so bad about doing a census, why did David want to know it, why did God allow it, and what good came from the episode?
1
Here it says that God was angry with
This is one of only four instances where Satan is named specifically. The others are 1) the temptation of Eve (Genesis 3), the attack against Job (Job 1-2), and when he accused Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3).
Clearly Satan is opposed (?stood against?) to
It does raise the whole debate over sovereignty and the role of the Devil and free will in sin. As in this and all other cases, God sometimes allows the natural inclinations of evil to come about (the temptation and sin) in order to bring about God?s will and to show His power and grace.
God allowed the serpent in the Garden of Eden, knowing Eve and Adam would cave, but paving the way for the ?seed? to crush Satan?s head. We lost the battle so God could win the war. In 1 Kings 22 God allows a ?lying spirit? to deceive the mouths of the false prophets so that the evil Ahab would be killed in battle. God allowed Satan to torment Job so his majesty could be revealed, as well as the godly character of those that know Him. In Zechariah Satan accuses Joshua who is clothed in dirty clothes. Those clothes are removed as a sign of a cleansing of sin.
2 ? 4
So what was wrong with a census? We should clarify that although David wants to number the ?people?, it is really a military census he is after (cf vs 9).
Taking a census itself was okay. Exodus 30:11-16 talks about taking a census to determine how much tax was owed. Military censuses had also been taken before in Numbers 1 and 26.
There are two major differences: 1) In those cases, however, it was God that had ordered the census. 2) It appears the motivation for the census was to glorify David rather than God.
In verse 4 Joab asks why David ?delights? in such a thing. The word is used elsewhere to describe Saul?s affection for David and David?s love for Jonathan. David is really married to this idea, he really wants it badly. But since God has not told him to do it, the strong desire does not come from God. There are several reasons why David might have wanted it. Perhaps he wanted to make sure Solomon had enough warriors to defend the land. That?s not a bad motivation, but again, is it subjugating what God wants to do (perhaps by encouraging Solomon?s trust in the Lord) by showing him how powerful the nation was.
By the way, 1 Chronicles tells us that God was ?displeased.? (21:7)
It is also possible that this was David not trusting in the Lord for himself, but wanted to be sure of his military might. It?s always important for us to ?walk by faith, not by sight.? (2 Corinthians 5:7)
5 ? 9
Joab gathers the information David wants. 1 Chronicles tells us he did not count Levi and Benjamin ?for the king?s command was abhorrent to Joab.? The Levites were exempt from military service (Numbers 1:49) and Joab may not have wanted to go into Benjamin because the Tabernacle was there or perhaps because there might have been pockets of resistance left over against David from Saul?s people.
The totals are different between here and in 1 Chronicles 21. Here Joab counts 800,000 valiant men. In 1 Chronicles the total is 1,100,000. The difference may have been an extra 300 who were of military age but not trained as warriors. The same may be true for Judah, 500,000 warriors in 2 Samuel,
2 Samuel: 800,000
1 Chronicles: 1,100,000, with 470,000 from
Perhaps there were estimates of the Levites and Benjamites in 2 Samuel.
10
Here again we see growth in David. The last time he made a major blunder, God had to trick him into confessing it through Nathan the Prophet (2 Samuel 12). This time it takes no prompting and David realizes what he?s done. It is a mark of a maturing believer who doesn?t need a sermon or a Bible verse or another Christian to remind him of sin. The Holy Spirit convicts us and the more we listen the better we are able to stop the sins from happening in the first place.
David says he has sinned ?greatly.? The sin with Bathsheba was a sin of the flesh, which took five lives (Uriah, the baby, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah). This is a sin of the heart, a willful rebellion against God. Here 70,000 will die. It is indeed ?greater?.
11 ? 14
This is one of the coolest sections and it shows David?s heart. There had to be consequences for sin, even though the iniquity has been taken away, just as God forgives sin when we confess it (1 John 4:9). But the consequences of sin still exist (Galatians 6).
David?s choices are: years of famine (punished by the creation), three months of fleeing (punished by God?s enemies) or three days of plague (punished by the Lord). David chooses to fall into God?s hands.
Jesus said to the church at
15 ? 16
The 70,000 killed should refer to fighting men. God is in the process of destroying the very thing that David was trying to rely on. Isn?t that like God, who like in the case of Gideon (Judges 6) removes our strength so we must rely on God?s.
It is God?s sovereign decision to stop the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah (Ornan in 1 Chron). Just as God sovereignly decided to make an end of sin by bringing Jesus to the cross. Araunah was a Jebusite, the original inhabitants of
17
Look at David?s heart here. He would willingly trade places for the people in order to spare them. Is this not the heart of Jesus, who did indeed give Himself in our place? Remember too that many scholars think that the Angel of the Lord is none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Just remember here that the sword in the angel?s hand is not killing anymore, but neither has it been put away.
18 ? 23
David could have simply taken or borrowed the land, but Araunah offers it freely. David realizes, of course, that a gift to the Lord that is really a ?pass through? gift is no real gift at all. I think that?s important for us to keep in mind as well, that we cannot have others worship for us or give their lives to Jesus for us, or serve for us. It is something we must do ourselves.
24 ? 25
David paid 50 shekels for the oxen and wood, and 600 shekels for the land (1 Chron). This is no ordinary piece of land. Here is where Abraham offered up his son Isaac to the Lord (Genesis 22). It will become the site of the temple and from here, David will make preparations for Solomon to build that temple. It is also one of the most hotly contested pieces of land on the planet. Right now standing on this spot is the Dome of the Rock, supposedly the place where Mohammed returned to Allah. The prophet Daniel tells us that a new temple will be built there, for the Israelis will once again sacrifice and the Anti-Christ will come there and desecrate that temple before Jesus returns (Daniel 11 and 12).
1 Chronicles 21:26 says that God accepted the sacrifice by consuming it with fire. It also says that David was afraid of going to the altar in Gibeah because of the sword of the Angel of the Lord. But after the sacrifice, God told the Angel to put his sword away.
Conclusions
So here we see a beautiful picture of salvation. Sin, caused by temptation to fulfill our own desires (James 1:13 ?his own evil desire?), results in wrath, which, through God?s mercy (not our merit) is assuaged by sacrifice.
What do we learn about David?
He wasn?t perfect (subject to pride)
He admitted when he was wrong and sought God?s forgiveness
He threw himself into the hands of God
He had self sacrificial love for his sheep
He worshipped at a cost
He had a healthy fear of God through it all