1 Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
Recap
God was angry with Israel, the text does not say why.
Anger is an emotion we must work to redeem.
God’s anger is always pure.
God moved David to number them.
Clarifying point: Satan tempted David to number them.
1 Chronicles 21:1 (ESV) — 1 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
Taken together, these texts depict the mysterious nature of God’s sovereignty.
God cannot be tempted, nor does he tempt (James 1:13).
But, in his sovereignty, can use the Devil to test the hearts of his people.
David, fully accountable for his own actions, failed at this juncture.
Joab did not agree with David’s decision, so he confronted David about it, but eventually submitted.
It took nearly ten months, but the people were counted.
There were 1.3M military aged males.
What, exactly, was the sin?
It is not clearly stated.
But some clues exist.
David: Self-trust.
He counted the military aged men, an indicator he was curious about the size of his military.
Israel: Independence from God.
The law did not forbid a census, but gave directions on how to conduct one.
Exodus 30:11–12 (ESV) — 11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
They were to pay a half shekel to the LORD to “make atonement for their lives” (Exodus 30:15-16).
It was a way to say, “We belong to God, not ourselves. We are his.”
There is no mention of that payment here.
Theory: the lack of payment was evidence of the sin God was angry about.
For ten months, neither David nor Israel repented.
Sins of the spirit are dangerous and lead to harm.
Self-reliance and independence from God do not seem to us “big sins” like adultery and murder.
But those were sins of the flesh.
These are sins of the spirit.
We want to avoid both, but do not underestimate the sins of the spirit.
Jesus’ attitude: He dined with and forgive tax collectors and sinners, but was severe with the proud Pharisees.
Pride: self-reliance, vain-glory, worry, unthankfulness, etc.
Pharisee — Luke 18:11–12 (ESV) — 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
1 John 2:16 (HCSB) — 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
God cannot help those who think they can help themselves.
2 Love Leads To Discipline
10 But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years [some manuscripts say seven] of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
Recap:
David was convicted, so he asked God to take away the iniquity in him.
The next morning, Gad the prophet came to David and, on God’s behalf, said, “Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”
His choices? Three years of famine from nature, three months of defeat from enemies, or three days of a plague from God.
The idea seems to be that each discipline is equal in nature.
David chose to fall into the hand of the LORD, meaning the three day plague. 70,000 died as a result.
Note: For a numerical comparison, this would be similar to 4,000 dying on the Monterey Peninsula in a three day span. Though not every household would be touched, everyone would notice. Everyone would be grieved.
Whatever Israel’s guilt, David’s leadership hurt the people here.
People often suffer, even die, for the sins of their leaders.
When God’s angel who was working destruction came to Jerusalem, God said, “It is enough.”
David, through it all, prayed, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
It was a prayer from his own vantage-point, but, remember, God used the event to discipline Israel.
Hebrews 12:5–11 (ESV) —
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
He does it because he loves and receives you.
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
He does it because he sees you as his child (responsibility and relationship).
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
He does it because it produces holiness and righteousness in those who’ve been trained by it.
Note: All discipline seems painful rather than pleasant.
How:
Words:
The Word.
Voice of the Spirit.
Rebuke.
Consequences:
Natural.
Supernatural.
Example: Rude to your wife?
Natural consequences will come.
But so will supernatural consequences — 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV) — 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Life:
“If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.” [^C.S. Lewis, God In The Dock]
We are born screaming, “Me!” But we should not die that way. Unfortunately, man do.
3 Forgiveness Leads To Love
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, as the LORD commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Recap:
Gad came again and told David to build an altar for God at the threshing floor of Araunah.
Araunah saw David and bowed, asking, ”Why has my lord the king come?”
David told Araunah he wanted to buy the threshing floor.
Araunah offered to give it to David.
David said, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.”
He then paid fifty shekels for the threshing floor and oxen, and 600 shekels for the entire lot of land (1 Chronicles 21:25).
There is something here about giving God your best, your most, and that which is costly to you.
Yes!
But from where does such a drive come?
David was forgiven much, so he loved much.
Luke 7:36–50 (ESV) —
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
Jesus, more than a prophet, (1) knew, (2) did not withdraw, (3) and engaged in her restoration.
40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Clear: Her forgiveness came first, then her response of much love.
Order of story: came to the house after she learned of his presence, indicating a previous transaction.
Jesus’ illustration: debt released before love released.
Jesus’ concluding remark: “he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
The order of the Biblical story of redemption: God initiated, Christ died, we receive and rejoice.
1 John 4:19 (ESV)—19 We love because he first loved us.
In other words: Love is not the basis for forgiveness, but the evidence of forgiveness.
Goal: To understand the magnitude of our forgiveness so that we will love strongly.
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
How did she enter into this saving forgiveness? Her faith in Jesus.
Romans 10:10 (ESV)—10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Don’t abuse grace.
2 Peter 3:16 (ESV) — 16 There are some things in them that are hard to understand [Paul’s writings], which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
4 Repentance Leads To Redemption
25 And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Recap:
1 Chronicles 22:1 (ESV) — 1 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
The 1-2 Samuel narrative comes full circle.
Terrible priesthood vs. Alive priesthood with temple mount.
No God-seekers vs. The man after God’s own heart.
After repentance, God redeemed David’s life.
Bathsheba yielded Solomon.
The census yielded the temple mount.
Dismantling of a dam — the water flows.
Repentance leads to redemption.
Peter repented.
Paul repented.
Manasseh repented.
Guilty:
He worshipped Baal, made Asherahs, and worshipped the sun, moon, and stars.
He put altars for all these in the temple.
He sacrificed his sons to these gods.
He used fortune tellers, omens, sorcery, mediums, and necromancers.
He led God’s people to “do more evil that the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:9).
So God allowed the Babylonians to capture him.
2 Chronicles 33:12–13 (ESV) — 12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.
But who is the redeemer?
Christ!
Joel 2:25–26 (ESV) — 25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
