120 - David Deals with His Own Sin
- Gwen Diaz
- Apr 30, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 3
April 30 - Nº 120 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21:1 – 22:1
Even in his old age, David was susceptible to Satan’s temptations (see 1 Chronicles 21:1). At one point, Satan filled his heart with pride. With Satan encouraging him, David decided to take a census of all the fighting men in Israel. He wanted to discover how big his army had grown.
Joab, who was once again the commander of the Israelite army, tried to talk him out of it. He knew that God was the only one who had the authority to decided when a census should be taken. In addition, God had told Moses that each man who was counted in a census had to pay a ransom fee to the Tabernacle. God had declared that the divine penalty for not paying this fee would be a plague (see Exodus 30:11-16). Yet Joab knew that David had no plans to make this payment.
Joab and the other commanders were adamantly opposed to taking the census, but David refused to listen. Reluctantly, his commanders traveled throughout the nation counting the men who were eligible to go to war. When the census was finally completed, Joab reported to the king that he had over one million men eligible for battle. As soon as he received this information, David regretted his decision. He knew that he had done the wrong thing. He begged God to forgive him.
God sent a prophet named Gad to inform David that he would be punished. He could choose his punishment from one of three options: 1) a devastating famine that would last three years; 2) an invading army that would destroy the country for three months; or 3) a deadly plague sent by God that would sweep across the land for three days. All three options terrified David! He ended up choosing the plague. He told Gad, “I’d rather fall into the hands of God than the hands of men, because God might show mercy.”
So, God sent an angel with a plague that spread across Israel. The outbreak killed 70,000 people. (Obviously the army was no longer as big as David's census had indicated!) The angel was standing above the threshing floor of a man named Araunah with his sword stretched out over the city of Jerusalem when God stopped him.
When David looked up and saw the angel, he immediately fell on his face and cried, “Oh Lord, I’m the one who sinned—not these people. What have they done? Punish me and my family—not them.”
Just then, the prophet named Gad arrived with another message from God. He told David to build an altar to the Lord at that site so the plague would stop. David hurried to Araunah's threshing floor and offered to buy it.
Araunah wanted to give the property to the king, but David said, “No, I will buy it for its full price. I refuse to make a sacrifice that doesn’t cost me anything.” He also bought oxen and wood from Araunah.
Then he built an altar and prayed to the Lord. God heard David’s prayers and sent fire from heaven. It consumed the offering—and the plague stopped!!
This all took place at the same location where Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac to the Lord (see #17 - January 17). And later, that site became the location of the magnificent temple that David’s son Solomon built for God.
Do you ever look at others who are sinning and think, “I would never do that!?”
The truth is none of us will ever outgrow temptation. And Satan will never give up trying to trick us and trap us.
We need to be willing to listen to the counsel and advice of others if we want to avoid doing sinful things.
Sin always has consequences!
Commentaires