David’s Census of Israel & Judah
October 13, 2020
Commentary
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel because of an unnamed sin, and David was moved to take a census of Israel and Judah (v. 1). This hap-pened because the Lord allowed Satan to incite David against Israel (1 Chron. 21:1). Taking a census was not sinful by itself (Exod. 30:11–12), but David’s sin was trusting numbers instead of trusting God. He wanted security from what he could see rather than from the LORD. This revealed a heart that was walking by sight instead of by faith. David ordered Joab and the army commanders to count the people throughout the land (v. 2). Joab warned the king and questioned his decision, but David’s command stood, and the census was carried out across Israel and Judah (vv. 3–8).
After many months, Joab returned to Jerusalem and reported the results to David (v. 9). There were 800,000 able-bodied soldiers in Israel and 500,000 in Judah. As soon as David heard the numbers, his heart was struck with guilt. He realized he had acted in pride and independence. Remembering that willful sin offends God (Ps. 19:13), David confessed and begged the LORD to take away his guilt (v. 10). This shows that David was sensitive to God’s correction and quick to repent.
The prophet Gad then came to David with a message from the LORD, offering three forms of punishment to choose from (vv. 11–13). David chose “three days of plague in the land”, trusting himself to the mercy of God rather than falling into the hands of the people (vv. 14–15). 70,000 died from this dis-ease (v. 16). David cried out, “Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and my father’s house” (v. 17), showing his willingness to bear the punishment for his people.
Application
How easy it is to trust numbers, plans, or strength instead of God. What am I depending on for security? Do I confess quickly when God shows pride in my heart? Will I choose the LORD’s mercy and obey Him right now? Who can I listen to when warned, and how will I respond in faith and repentance each day?
2 Samuel 24:1–17 (NET)
1 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.” 2 The king told Joab, the general in command of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the size of the army.”
3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God make the army a hundred times larger right before the eyes of my lord the king! But why does my master the king want to do this?”
4 But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the south side of the city, at the wadi of Gad, near Jazer. 6 Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon. 7 Then they went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba. 8 They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back to Jerusalem.
9 Joab reported the number of warriors to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were 500,000 soldiers.
10 David felt guilty after he had numbered the army. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O Lord, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up the next morning, the Lord’s message had already come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 12 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord has said: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.’”
13 Gad went to David and told him, “Shall seven years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemies with them in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what I should tell the one who sent me.” 14 David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by human hands!”
15 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time, and 70,000 people died from Dan to Beer Sheba. 16 When the angel extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!” (Now the angel of the Lord was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)
17 When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, “Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep—what have they done? Attack me and my family.”
Porter on a Train Fails to Wake-up a Businessman
An important business executive boarded the New-Orleans-to-Washington train. He was a heavy sleeper, and he needed to be awakened in order to get off the train in Atlanta about 5 o’clock in the morning. He found a porter and told him, &ldquo … Continue