2 Samuel 24 (Part 1) Bible Study (David's Census/God's Judgement of David's Sin) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, let's turn our Bibles to Second Samuel, Chapter 24,

2 Samuel 24 · chapter mention

Second Samuel 24. As we come to a close in our

study of this book. Our sister prayed, thanking God

for the past few months in this book.

But if you calculate our time since we started for Samuel,

it's been close to I think three years when you combine First and

Second Samuel in our study with the natural breaks throughout

those years. So maybe let's say safely two

years in our study of the story of David and what a story it is,

right? What a man.

God preserving so much concerning His testimonies, his

trials, triumphs, tests, mountaintops and low valleys.

There isn't another character apart from the person of Jesus

Christ that takes up so much space in our Bibles.

So he is an important figure. He is crucial not understanding

not just of what and who he points to, but the practical

lessons that we must absorb as things around his life are meant

to correlate with our Christian journey.

When it comes to his battles. When it comes to his

temptations. When it comes to his devotion.

Clearly, the Holy Spirit wants to set this man up, not to be

worshipped or venerated, but to learn from, as a model and as an

example. And that is no less true in the

final chapter of Second Samuel, as we explore the concluding the

concluding verses of this man's life.

This isn't where David ends. That's in First Kings chapter

one where we see his actual. Departure from the earth.

The record of that. Nonetheless, in this specific

record we have a certain scenario that the Holy Spirit

wants us to end our thoughts on as we bring this study to a

close. Our sister prayed, But I I would

like to pray again. Lord, we thank you for Second

Samuel for the months and the weeks devoted to this

consistently. Others might feel a little bit

weary and tired of hearing of the same man over and over

again. And yet we are in a room filled

with people who want to ring out every single drop of insight

that your word would provide concerning this man.

So we thank you for the joy and the endurance in this book.

Now, Lord, as we come to the final chapter, we pray that your

voice would be loud and clear and that there would be the

fruit of your will transferred over into our lives as a result

of what this study is about. We thank you in advance for what

you will do. Thank you for what you have

done, and we give you all the glory and honor as a church

family. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Second same of 24 verse one.

Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he

incited David against them saying go number Israel and

Judah. So the king said to Job the

commander of the army who is with him go through all the

tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, a number of the

people that I may know the number of the people.

But Joab said to the king, may the Lord your God add to the

people 100 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? 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.

They crossed the Jordan and began from RR and from the city

that is in the middle of the valley toward Gad and onto

Yazer. 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 side on and came to the fortress

of Tire and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites.

And they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beershiba.

So when they had gone through all the land, they came to

Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days, and Job gave

the sum of the numbering of the people to the king.

In Israel there are 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword,

and the men of Judah were 500,000.

We have to ask two very important questions from verse

one that will help us frame the rest of this chapter.

Those questions are this. Number one, what was it that

Israel did for the anger of the Lord to be kindled against it?

And #2 what does it mean for? He being God to incite David

against them. So let's deal with the first

question. We're told here the premises

that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

Many people don't even consider that fact when they come to this

chapter. They immediately want to go to

David's sin and and asking for a senses when the whole foundation

of The thing is that no God is actually responding to a

previous sin, the sin of the nation.

The sin of the nation here is the reason for why God is about

to do what He's going to do, why David is going to do what he is

about to do. And we wonder what is it that

Israel has done. And here's the thing.

We have entered into the realm of speculation because the

scriptures are not clear about what the nation has done in

order to cause God to move in divine discipline.

But there might be a hint in a simple word, the word that opens

up this chapter. It's the very simple word again.

Again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

Now you and I are not unfamiliar with the cycles of sin that this

nation got themselves into. Throughout centuries we've read

and studied the Book of Judges, and even early on and First

Samuel, we've seen this pattern from this nation.

And that pattern can be summarized in this idolatry and

apostasy, the worship of different gods, and ultimately

turning their backs on God. And if the word again is meant

to link us to the repetitive cycle of Israel's history, then

we can say that perhaps what is causing God to be so angry is

that the people somehow have now come to a low point in false

worship and an unfaithfulness to their God.

Now that's not certain. Some would even say no, no, no,

this is God's anger against Israel for their guilt involving

within Absalom's. What?

His revolt and their partial partnership in the rebellion of

Sheba, that also is not entirely clear.

So we're left to just say we don't know what it is, but we

can say it was enough for God to say I'm going to do something to

discipline you, I'm going to chastise you, and he's going to

chastise them by doing this. And this brings us to our second

question, inciting David against them.

What does it mean for God to incite David against them?

Again, you might come up with different answers unless you

read the rest of the chapter. When you read the rest of the

chapter as we did, what God essentially is saying, what the

Spirit is saying, is that David, as a response to the sin of the

nation, was stirred to sin, was stirred to sin in order to cause

the people to sin further. Now that sounds odd because we

read here that he incited the the God incite David descent.

We know that James tells us that God tempts no man.

And so how do we reconcile this? Because what we see here is that

David is going to commit a very grievous evil.

Yes, very good. And first Chronicles 21 verse

one. We'll get there in a moment.

We're not. We're going to read that it's

actually Satan who incites David to create a senses.

And even if you didn't have First Chronicles 21, one which

is very important, and having the understanding of what's

taking place here, what David is doing, what God is, this is an

important word. Allowing is not a foreign idea

in the Bibles. Essentially, what's taking place

here is as a response to the nation's sin, God is going to

allow David and the nation to sin further.

Why? Because in sinning further they

were incur more judgment upon themselves while also embracing

the consequences of their willful disobedience.

In other words, one way that God judges the people one of the

rods that he uses is you to sin further in your sin that when

you persist in your rebellion, God will allow you to continue

in your rebellion. Because to remain in such a

condition is judgment in itself. And it's important to see here

that when he incited David, he's not the direct agent for David

to commit sin. Our brother just read it in

First Chronicles 21. One we read that it was

actually, say, Satan, some would see this as a contradiction.

No, it's complimentary. God is sovereign.

He superintends all things, including Satan.

And when we read here in First Chronicles 21 that Satan stood

against Israel and incited David, what this is essentially

showing us is how God incited David.

The how here is in this verse, and it was by permitting Satan

removing his protection, removing his grace from David

and the nation as a whole, and giving Satan more access to his

heart and to his mind to persuade him further Into

Darkness. There's so many examples of that

throughout the old and the new, and this is just one of them.

So what you have here is a very important theological concept.

When a person or a people refuse to continue to follow God, they

will inevitably have Satan as a substitute.

Push God out. You don't have neutrality.

Push God out. You invite the evil one.

When you do that in your life, when you do that in your family,

when you do that in your marriage, when you do it as a

nation. You don't want to follow God

anymore. You don't want to honor God

anymore. Then Satan will gladly lead you

because you're a slave to something.

In this life, you're always a slave.

You're either a slave to sin, a slave to Satan, or a slave to

God and a slave to righteousness.

You're not a free man, you're a slave.

But the beauty about being a slave unto God is that that's

where true freedom lies. And so we see here that Satan,

in essence, takes the place. As God pulls away, his presence

and his activity intensifies, and that's what we read here.

David receives a thought not from the Lord, but from the evil

one, Satan. Unlike what many people believe,

Satan can't read your mind. He can't.

Some people believe that. What a tormenting way to live.

He can't read your mind. God is all knowing.

The Bible tells us that he alone knows the hearts of all men.

Satan doesn't share that prerogative or that power.

But Satan can sow into your mind, and he can plant thoughts

into your mind. And that's exactly what happens

to David here. And it shows.

Something about David does it not?

Because the temptation comes and he bites.

Now we read about the poor anemic condition of Israel, but

we also realized that David himself was in a weak place.

Spiritually speaking, David allows Satan to influence him.

David allows this thought of clear disobedience to actually

overtake him. And could it be that Israel's

weak condition is a direct result of Israel's leadership

being A poor example and not being steadfast in their own

walk with the Lord? God only knows.

But allow me to say it again. One of the ways in which God

judges a person or people is by allowing them to sin further so

they can store it for themselves more judgment, while also

enduring the consequences of the sin itself.

Just in case you doubt that, this is one of my go to verses

to show that and to prove that, it's in Proverbs 22.

Verse 14, Proverbs 2214 says that the mouth of a forbidden

woman is a deep pit. The mouth of a forbidden woman

is a deep pit, meaning a woman who is promiscuous, adulterous,

sensual is a deep pit. You get involved with a woman

like that, it's going to be very hard to escape.

That's what it means to me. Deep pit it.

You won't be able to really escape the consequences as

easily. You won't be able to escape the

the the the pain, the guilt, the shame as easily.

It's a deep pit. It's a severe thing to fall into

such a way of life. But that's not the part I'm

focused on. It says in the second part of

that verse he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.

I remember first reading that just in my reading of Proverbs,

and it shocked me to the core. You would think it says the

mouth of a forbidden woman is a deep pit.

The one who does this, the Lord will be angry with.

It doesn't say that. It says he with whom the Lord is

angry will fall into it. In other words, in some cases,

when a person does fall into this pit, it's not because God

is angry with that particular sin, it's the fruit of a

previous sin. God, in essence, allows a person

to continue in their sin, which in many cases leads to adultery,

sensuality, or morality as a consequence of something prior.

And it made me think about so many different scenarios.

And one of the scenarios that we're familiar with,

unfortunately, is the fall of many leaders who who get

themselves involved in infidelity and sensuality.

I wonder if that is not necessary the the the sin that

disqualified. And I wonder if they were

disqualified a long time ago and that was the that was the sin

that ultimately disqualified them publicly from ministry.

But makes you wonder if there was pride in that heart, makes

you wonder if there was self exaltation or different vices

that corrupted that person. Because what we see here is one

of the ways in which God does chastise or judge is when he

says, go ahead, I remove my protective guardrails around

you, I remove my conviction, I remove my warnings, and I let

you just be. And that's what we see here with

David, Satan has greater access to his mind.

And what does Satan incite him to do?

Verse two. So the king set to Job 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.

Are you serious? Out of all the things that Satan

contempt a man to do, out of all the crimes, out of all the

evils, the one thing that Satan resolves to convince David of is

to send out a nationwide report to get an update on the

population number. I mean, that sounds like that

sounds pretty innocent as it sounds so severe because there's

nothing inherently wrong with the senses.

That's true throughout the Bible.

But what we have to consider here are two things to see how

Satan is moving behind the scenes.

The motive behind the senses and the method of the senses.

The motive and the method. What is the motive do you think

according to verse two? What do you see in verse 2?

That I may know. It's all about David.

It's all for David. It's all to satisfy this

curiosity and a curiosity in order to build up

selfconfidence. I just want to know how many

people I have under my leadership in my brain.

I want to know how much we've grown.

I want to know our strength. I want to know our military

might, which is confirmed later on that David is not necessarily

interested in the wider number. He wants to know specifically

about his army. And Joe up here, I mean, out of

all the guys to protest, this job is the guy who protested.

That's how you know there's something fishy about this.

He reads David like a book, like it's all over him for why he

wants to do this, and that's why he he stands up and he says,

listen, may the Lord add to the number 100 times in your

lifetime, but why do you delight in this thing?

Why are you trying to do this? What are you?

What's your real motive here? And he's challenging David

because he can discern that. This is rooted in pride.

This is rooted in arrogance. There is something here about

David wanting to confirm and celebrate himself, and Joe AB is

the one who notices it. Joe AB and I thought to myself

reading about Joe, I said, Where was this man's courage?

Where was this man's conviction? And we'll get to that in a

moment. But this is what we're seeing

here. Pride is what is consuming

David. That was the door that Satan had

access through. Is David at the beginning of his

life, the middle of his life, or the end of his life?

The end of his life? Pride is always looking at every

point of where you're at, of every season.

When you're young and you're zealous, you can boast in that

and even in your spirituality. Even in your plans and your

dreams and the strength of the flesh and your beauty, you can

be proud. And at the end of your life,

upon the reflection of all your successes and all your endeavors

and all the things that you've done, even in the name of God,

pride is right there trying to destroy you.

Even if you have a day left to live, Pride still wants to try

to bring you down. So be on guard.

Always, always at all seasons, at all times, in all places.

Be alert. Here we see that this man in his

old age is still being threatened by pride, and

unfortunately, he's infected by it.

And first Chronicles 21 Five. That's a parallel account if you

want to flip back and forth. It'll make this study much

easier. We're told exactly what, David.

Wanted a number for it says here in Joe I've gave the some of the

numbering of the people to David and all Israel There were

1,100,000 men who drew the sword and in Judah 470,000 who drew

the sword David wanted to know specifically about.

His fighting men. And there's no sign in the text

that David is trying to get an idea of who's at his disposal

because there are neighboring nations ready to go to war.

The fact that this took several months to do shows that David is

doing this at a time of peace. Some people excuse David that

he's trying to do this to prepare himself for a potential

conflict. There is no sign of conflict.

Nine months go by and there is nothing indicating.

Potential danger. This is purely from a place of

success and wanting to relish in your success.

So there are only two strong possibilities to why David is

doing this. What do you think it is?

One of two? Or maybe you can get both.

I kind of gave a hint just now to gloat to 1, to simply just

boast and to and to realize how successful he was and to to

proclaim nationally how successful he was.

This was a way to trumpet. His own brilliance and

leadership. But what's the second reason do

you think? I think that's very true.

Here's David now putting his trust in a number of his men

rather than the strength of his God and and the Lord himself

knew the danger. God's not against numbers.

He has old book called numbers. OK, God's not against numbers.

In the book of Acts we see him counting the number of people

who are saved periodically. He's not Now what we do with

those numbers and what those numbers do to us determines what

God feels about us numbering. But yet God still realizes the

danger of numbers. And so even when it came to

Gideon as her brother brought up as an example, he reduced the

number less. The people boast in their

themselves after the victory. And God, even concerning kings

in Deuteronomy 17, gave strict protocol of what they should do

in terms of their army, in terms of their own material gain and

strength. And there should be few horses,

right? And all these specific rules, so

that constantly they would depend on their God throughout

the ages. And we hear we see here that

David potentially now loses sight of the Lord and begins to

try to draw hope and draw strength from that which God

says you don't put your trust in.

Either one of these reasons is enough for him to be headed for

trouble. These are the potential motives.

Now let's talk about the method. This is where people tend to

miss the deeper meaning of the story.

They tend to just stop their date of his operating here under

pride, self-sufficiency, self-reliance.

True, true. True.

True, but the crime is much more severe than that.

Did God give his people instructions of how they should

conduct the senses? You would know this if you were

with us 5-6 years ago, because we went through a book that

tells us plainly that there are set, detailed rules of how the

nation should go about sending out a report to be numbered.

Anybody know which book? I'm speaking about?

Exodus. So I need you to turn to Exodus

Exodus 30 · chapter mention

chapter 30, and let's read a few verses to understand this more

deeply. This is why you've heard me say

this. I love saying it.

You need to read the whole Bible, my friend.

Because you'll come to a story like this and you'll miss the

deeper meaning. So when you skip over Exodus,

because from 25 to 40 it's all about the Tabernacle, you're

like, I'm not interested. This doesn't relate to my life.

Then you come to the exciting book of Second Samuel and you

come to 24. You say all this is awesome, but

because you missed out on Exodus, you miss out on 2nd Sam

of 24, Exodus 30, verse 11. Another reminder for us to be

Exodus 30:11

people who indulge in the whole thing.

Verse 11 reads, The Lord said to Moses, pay attention.

Now verse 12. When you take the senses 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, each one

who is numbered in the senses shall give this half a shekel.

According to the shekel of the sanctuary.

The shekel is 20 guerres half a shekel as an offering to the

Lord. Everyone who is numbered in the

census from 20 years old and upwards, shall give the Lord's

offering, the rich shall not give more, and the poor shall

not give less than the half shekel.

When you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for

your lives, you shall take the atonement money from the people

of Israel, and shall give it for the service of the 10th of

meeting. That it may bring the people of

Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement

for your lives. Fascinating.

I love the Bible. I love the Old Testament.

I got giddy. When I was reminded of these

verses, well, tell me, tell me some things that stand out from

the specific rules concerning the census.

What stands out to you? There's a tax associated with

the census. You could not separate the tax

from the numbering. Crucial.

Anything else? The tax has a specific purpose.

There's actually twofold purpose, but it's referred to

powerfully as the atonement money.

Oh, you see where we're going here?

Atonement money. What else stands out to you from

these verses? The money is actually an

offering to the Lord. It's an offering.

So that's one of its purposes, and we're going to get to the

purposes in a moment, but I want to see if anybody else sees any

other details, What else stands out?

Whether you're rich or you're poor, no matter what your status

was in society, every single person paid the same price.

Yes. Oh, very, very important.

Did you see what we were reading at first?

Refusal to pay the tax would invoke a plague.

If you've read Second Name of 24 in its entirety, things are

beginning to connect now, and I'll show you if you haven't

read it before, what else You had your hand up.

There is a remembrance in this act.

Well, I think we've gathered enough.

Unless Joshua back there in the sound booth.

What are you doing in the sound booth, Joshua?

Are you in charge of the life? Yes.

So there is an atoning factor to this half shekel being devoted

and dedicated from each individual.

While we have enough now to work with something, this is the two

purposes that we have concerning this tax, when the census will

go out. Number one, this tax would be a

means to provide the necessary funds to continue the service in

the Tabernacle. We read that right.

We read here that the service of the. 10th of meeting it shall be

given. For the service.

And then the second part there, verse 16, is that it may bring

the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord.

So not only would it help fund the ministry of the central

worship center of the nation, it would have an individual and

immediate act upon the hearts of the people.

And this was it. The senses would cause the

people to be humbled because of that tax.

There would be something given up by the people.

So that not that nationalism would be boosted, not not so

that the ego of the leadership would be stroked, but that the

people would be actually brought low.

And that when they were numbered, when their existence

and their participation was made known to them and to the nation,

they would in a sense, by giving up the shekel, saying as much as

I have been led here by the grace of God, as much as I am in

a place of great prosperity and blessing.

I also recognize that I am in need of atonement.

I also recognize that God owns me and that I need rescue and

that I need to be delivered and that I need covering for my sin.

That's what was being declared in that offering.

And so, yes, they would be acknowledged by this senses, but

they would also be humbled by this senses.

And that humility would be stimulated by a willingness to

give up something small but something symbolic that would

cause him to say and recall their condition and feel their

need to be delivered. And what makes us observe is

even more special, is what the Lord says in verse 15.

We we heard it already. The rich shall not give more,

and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel.

When you give the Lord's offering to make atonement.

That's a gospel truth. What this means is no matter.

Who you are among your family and society, your occupation,

every single person, by giving the same amount, would

essentially be confessing that they are all in equal need of

the same atonement. We all need deliverance.

We all need the same salvation. We all need the same rescue.

And so this census with this tax actually brought everybody on a

level ground. It brought everybody to to

realize it. Acknowledge no matter who I am

as a number in this place. Still you and I, my brother, my

sister, we all need the same thing.

We all need atonement. We all need atonement.

And and if you can make a Bible study just on the census.

So let me just give you something else to add to this to

make it even more exciting. When this original census was

given out, when this original set of instructions was

implemented, does anybody know where the tax money went in

Exodus? Anybody have an idea where did

this tax money go? Well, one the shekel was silver.

Maybe that's a hint. Any ideas?

If you're listening to this at a later time, any ideas?

You're in that general area, the Tabernacle.

Give me more specifics. Yes.

Yes, Josh, I'm pointing at you. The priest.

More specifically, you're in the realm that I'm referring to, not

the Treasury necessarily. Not the trumpets, but very good

guess. Okay, I'm impatient.

Exodus 38. You'll see it.

Exodus. 3825 we see the direct reference of this initial census

being given out and where the silver of this first generation

went to Exodus 3825, are you there?

The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded

was 100 talents and 1775 shekels by the shekel of the sanctuary.

A bake ahead that is half a shekel by the shekel of the

sanctuary for everyone who is listed in the records from 20

years old and upward for 600 and three 550,000 men.

Now here it is, verse 27, The 100 Talents of Silver.

Were forecasting the bases of the Sanctuary and the bases of

the Veil. 100 bases for the 100 talents.

A talent, a base. Where did that silver go?

To the bases that held up the boards that would make up the

edifice of the Tabernacle. Every inch of the construction

of the Tabernacle has been recorded and preserved for us in

the word of God. It's absolutely astounding to me

to see how much of the Bible contains reference, whether in

detail or by name to the Tabernacle.

I always use this as an example to contrast a thought provoking

idea. You have two chapters or chapter

and a half dedicated to the creation of the universe, the

creation of the universe, and some believe that in comparison

to that you have close to 50 chapters in the Bible that's

dedicated to the Tabernacle. Two for the universe around 50,

for a building that has no immediate relevance to us in the

New Covenant, clearly there's something important about the

Tabernacle, and every corner, every material, every way in

which it should be built has been kept for us because there's

something greater in it than for us to see what Israel use as a

means to meet with God. And here we read that the silver

that was brought from the census was utilized in order to create

the basis in which the main structure with its boards would

be able to be established and founded upon.

You don't have the basis. You don't have support.

You don't have support. You don't have an existing

meeting place between God and man.

It's it's the base. It's the foundation.

So remove the bases. What do you have?

A very wobbly tent. Remove the bases and what do you

have? A very shaky and unpredictable

arena. So this is this is not optional.

This is crucial, like anything else, when you're building any

size project, to have the base in place and the base by the

spirits. Insight, we're told, is used by

the material of the silver. What did the silver represent?

Atonement. It was a confession that apart

from atonement, I cannot be who God called me.

I cannot have a future. I cannot be truly a child of

God. I need my sins covered.

And the Holy Spirit takes that truth and applies it to the base

of the Tabernacle. You know why?

Because in the same way you could not have a Tabernacle

without the silver bases, you can't have a relationship with

God apart from the reality of atonement.

That's the truth. God could Tabernacle with man in

the Old Covenant on the basis of the revelation of Atonement.

Christ can only Tabernacle in your heart upon the same

reality, not with silver or gold, as Peter said, but upon

the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the truth. Do you see how the Old Testament

is exciting? Do you see how you can't skip

it? You see how when you get deep,

there's meat waiting for you. So even the basis of the silver,

you think, why am I being told this?

Well, what is a silver represent?

Oh, you can't have a Tabernacle. You can't know God.

You can't meet with God. You can't have the glory of God

apart from me confessing I need to be atoned for.

It's pointing to something. Now this is making more sense

when you come to Second Samuel 20 4.

Hold on. We're still in the category not

of the motive, but of the method of the senses.

What was the danger? What was the punishment if the

people under a census did not give up their toning silver?

A plague? Come back to second.

Same of 24. Look at verse 15.

So the Lord sent what pestilence on Israel from the morning until

the appointed time, and there died of the people from Dan to

Beersheba, 70,000 men, plague. It's very likely that when Satan

tempted David, he not only tempted him to feed his pride,

but he tempted him to create his senses while ignoring the

atonement offering. And that makes sense because the

guilt didn't just come upon David.

Who did it come upon? The nation as a whole.

The nation as a whole. And so it could be that the

anger from verse one of of of God concerning the people is

that they themselves had their own pride going on and inciting

David to create this census. Without the need of the

atonement, only expose the pride that was in their hearts.

Because what you have here is a great possibility that the

people neglected their participation, their

responsibility, in giving up half a shekel when they were

counted. What was Satan trying to do?

He was trying to, in essence, cause the people to deny their

need for redemption. It was an affront to God.

It was an offense to God. It was them saying, yeah, we're

numbered. But they divorce themselves of

their need for saving, their need for redemption.

How only their sins being covered is any hope for their

future. And David wanted to blur that

message. And so we encouraged David to

create a senses, which is not inherently wrong.

But when you did it your way without this key component, oh,

you were sending a clear message to God Almighty and to your

neighbors. We don't need atonement.

Is Satan still doing the same today?

Absolutely. Satan doesn't mind you

acknowledging your existence. He doesn't mind you living it up

here. As long as you do not see your

desperate condition. He'll let you live in self

righteousness. He'll let you live in a works

based philosophy as long as you don't come to the self

realization that I need covering.

I need redemption. I need something outside of

myself to rescue me. He's doing the very same thing.

And we see here that this is the essence of the crime of Second

2 Samuel 24 · chapter mention

Samuel, Chapter 24. A census without atonement.

A census without an offering. A census without the

proclamation of the desperation of the people's spiritual

condition. And we're going to close to show

just how severe this crime was. We're just in verse 2.

How are we going to finish this? I don't know, but let's keep

going. Verse 3.

But Joe upset to the king, may the Lord your God add to the

people 100 times as many as they are, while the eyes of the Lord

still see it, my king still see it.

But why does my Lord the King delight in this thing?

Again, I said earlier, where was this man's courage and

conviction when it came to Abner?

When it came to Uriah, when it came to the people that he

murdered in cold blood? I thought to myself, where was

this man? With Amasa when he kissed them

and stabbed them and let his entrails spill out.

Because what he's saying here is righteous.

It is right, It is correct. But see, jobs problem was this

that he was willing to stand up against evil as long as that

evil did not, did not cause any of his personal interests to be

endangered if. Evil promoted his position,

protected his authority. He was for it, but when it was

outside of himself, he was willing to speak out against it.

This is what we call selective sanctification, that you are

bold and courageous on your social media and in your

conversations and in your debates with others with

cultural issues. But when it comes to sins that

you enjoy and justify, you have a different tone, don't you?

You have you have a different attitude, don't you?

That's that's a joab like spirituality.

And so as much as this is to be commended, this is also

concerning with Joe AB willing to speak out against evils that

don't pertain or affect his life.

But when it came to his life, he was more than willing to commit

evil. And it's more than just Job.

Look at verse 4. But the King's word prevailed

against Job and the commanders of the army.

So now you have other guys in high prominent positions that

are siding with Joe AB and are trying to convince the King King

don't do this. Please don't do this.

This is going to be really bad for you and really bad for all

of us. We're begging you not to do

this. But unfortunately it says here

the King's word prevailed against Job.

What do you take out of verse four?

What do you take out of verse four with Job and the commanders

of the army standing up against the King?

Look at it from a. Divine standpoint.

Look at it from God's perspective more than from a

human standpoint. Do you know what I see from

this? An act of God's mercy.

I see that as much as David has been given over to himself in

this season, God still gives him a way out.

It's almost as though God is giving him yet another chance,

another chance to escape, a furtherance into disobedience

and the the consequences and the outcomes thereof.

Do you remember what happened with David on the rooftop in

Second Samuel 11 when he inquired of Bathsheba?

The servants came back and what did they say?

They they told him that this is a married woman and she's

actually married to one of your mighty men.

Remember that. And we concluded that that was

an act of intervention, to shock David and to sober David to him,

to realize, okay, this is a married woman.

And this is not just any married woman.

This is, that should be enough. But this is one of my best

friend's wives. And so the promise there in the

New Testament that whenever we are tempted, the Lord will

always provide a way of escape that's always promised in every

situation, every scenario. And it's no less true.

Here in Second Samuel 11, David had a chance to say what am I

thinking, Thank you servants, go ahead.

And he could have smacked his head a couple times on the on

one of the walls and you would have been justified in doing so.

What am I thinking? And here we have him again in

this chapter where he has of all people, Joe AB being the voice

of reason and having the moral high ground.

Hey, don't do this like if you have if you have a job.

Telling you not to do something, you would think okay, maybe I'm

not. Maybe I'm doing something wrong

here? And he still doesn't catch it.

He still doesn't catch it. Many people in their sin,

especially in their premeditated sin, do the same thing David

does. They fail to hear the voice of

God now. I'm not talking about the

audible voice of God. I'm talking about the the

natural means of providential interruptions, providential

interruptions. So like when the sermon you hear

on that Sunday that speaks directly to your situation and

you're just like, OK, God is saying something to me and yet

you still choose to persist in your disobedience, right?

The rebuke of a friend, or when a friend texts you or calls you,

says brother, I don't know what's going on with you man.

You seem different. The Lord put you on my heart,

and I just want to Is everything OK?

Yeah, everything's fine, brother.

God is good all the time. God is good and and you're not

catching it. The Lord is even impressing it

on people who care for you to get your attention right, or the

very difficult hurdles that have been brought about on the path

as you're trying to plan your sin.

And you're not catching on that God is trying to stop you from

doing this, though you will not infringe upon your free will.

I know that word irks people, but and So what do we make of

this? It's a very clear example and

illustration of how stubborn we are in our sin.

And God tries to get our attention in many ways, and we

still choose to, in our blindness, move forward.

But I see something else here. I see something else that's

deeper than that truth. And it's this.

That when the child of God is outside of fellowship with the

Lord, clearly David was not in a good place to begin with for him

to be incited in this way, for him to be so hardened.

When the child of God is outside of fellowship with the Lord,

they are capable of making foolish decisions that even men

like Job would never entertain. When we.

Forfeit communion with God. You and I, even as Christians,

are capable of becoming something that even the world

would not tolerate. You don't believe me?

Remember what Paul said about that man in First Corinthians 5

who needed to be excommunicated from the church because his sin

was very public and it was atrocious and it was being

tolerated by the by the church. He said in verse one of First

Corinthians 5, it is actually reported that there is sexual

morality among you and of a kind that is not tolerated even among

pagans. I this is how This is why you

need to stay close to Jesus. Like very close.

Because to remove yourself from that close protection in the

presence of God can create something in you that even the

world would say. That's pretty insane.

That behavior is out of place, that kind of attitude, those

kind of decisions. Even the world can say we

wouldn't even go that far. Now I know that's becoming

increasingly difficult to believe in our age, but it's

true nonetheless. Here we have a great contrast.

You have a man like Job who was not a noble man, who was not a

man of great character and integrity.

But even Joe AB can look at David, who has been brought so

low because of his distance from God.

And he goes, I wouldn't even do that myself if that doesn't.

I mean, there are many things to motivate you to cling to Jesus

Christ. Let this be one of them.

You don't want to know what you can become when you move away

from God. I don't want to know what I can

become. People say, brother, how do you

stay devoted in your disciplines every single day?

It's not a matter of my feelings.

It's a matter of survival. Like I need this.

Not a matter. If I want this, I need it.

I don't know what I don't know. I just know myself.

I know myself. I know who Daniel can be when he

doesn't spend enough ample time with the Lord.

I know. I know what happens to my

thinking. I know what happens to my flesh.

I know what happens to my patience.

I know what happens to my attitude.

I know what I know myself. So I need to stay very close to

him. And it's not just survival

satisfaction may add. I enjoy him and I hope you do

too. So what happens?

Verse 5. This elaborate, drawn out,

detailed journey meant to emphasize the absolute length

and breadth that Job and the commanders went to in order to

satisfy their leaders. Lust.

And verse 8 tells us the exact numbering of the whole campaign.

So when they had gone through all the land, they came to

Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days.

Yeah. What took them almost 10 months

would take us a few days, even here in America, Right.

So this is more than just us to get an idea of how much we'd

advance in technology. There's a lesson here.

What do you take out of that? Almost 10 months for this to be

completed? You know what I see?

Do you see the same? What?

Yeah. Well, your sin can take you and

keep you longer than you hope for sure.

Yes, that's primarily it. This nine months and 20 days was

a window for David's repentance. David had a chance to call out

to God. During this time.

David had a chance to come to a sense, say, shut this whole

thing down. What was I thinking two months

ago? And so you see here that David

persisted in his disobedience for almost a year.

And you also see God's patience to not immediately judge him and

to wait for him to come to his senses in that same period of

time. God is so patient, gloriously

patient, merciful, beyond understanding.

And so David had this time, and it's just yet another revelation

of God's mercy. It wasn't just through Job and

the commanders. It was even in the period in

which this thing was being conducted and it still didn't

click. You say, oh, oh, David, it took

you that long to realize. Okay, how about you and me, How

many sermons do we have to hear, huh?

How many years being in church? How many years being in the

ministry before we actually got it?

How many? How many this is?

This is to humble us. It's taken longer for other

people to come to their senses and their sin and their

spiritual maturity. So let's not get excited here

and say, oh, I'm glad I'm not like David.

I don't know. We might be worse than David in

many cases at the end of nine months and 20 days.

Job finally comes with the report back and let's skip over

here to verse 10. But David's heart struck him

very important word, 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, very foolishly. So when Job and the Commander

spoke up to David, his heart was not stricken.

When the nine months and 28 went by, nothing happened to him.

It wasn't only until after what we had hoped for would have

happened before, only happened after.

And again, we might say shame on you, David.

No, no, no, shame on us. Because how true is it that most

people are only ready to repent when they see what they thought

would bring them to light? Ends up disappointing them in

the end. This is a picture of the

tendency of man, even people who profess Christ, that we only

tend to feel the guilt and the conviction that we should have

felt earlier when The Mirage has been proven to be a mirage.

Because it it sounded really good when it was here, and when

we fantasized about it, and when we thought about it, and when we

had all our little schemes of how to escape it and to evade

the consequences of it, it sounded, and it looked really

good here, but only until you sipped from it and you felt what

it did to your soul. You realize this is stupid, This

didn't satisfy. This was dumb.

The shame is not worth it. The guilt is not worth it.

It's only usually until after we do the thing, do we feel our

hearts springing with conviction.

It doesn't have to be that way, but look at his language.

What stands out to you from his confession?

And David said, I have sinned greatly in what I have done.

But now, Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant,

for I have done very foolishly. Anything stand out to you it?

Helps when you have the rearview mirrors up.

Yes, Okay, that's good. That's one of the points.

Does David say remove the consequences of my iniquity?

He doesn't say that. What does he say?

Remove what? The iniquity.

That's true confession. True confession is not just you

acknowledging you're wrong, it's you actually professing and your

desire to be changed. OK, not only is this wrong, I

need you to eradicate the Presence and the power of the

sin in my life. A lot of confession is provoked

when the sin is met with consequences.

And here's the thing. Worldly sorrow looks at the

consequences and sees the consequences as the reason for

you wanting God to intervene. A True Blood bot regenerate soul

is not concerned as much as the consequences are are concerning

you more than the consecration of your own life.

The true believer when he sin says Lord, let the consequence

let the chips fall where they fall.

But I need to be changed. I don't want to be this person

again. I don't want to repeat this

vileness again. I don't want to be this.

You need to do something in me, not just for me, which is a lot

of confession. I want to get out of this

trouble. I don't want to go to jail.

I don't want to lose my friends. I want to save my money.

That's not true repentance. Repentance, says okay as much as

the consequences. There, I see it and I will deal

with it. God, you'll preserve me through

it. But Lord, this stinking heart of

mine, purify it. Remove this sin.

Not just the problems that my sin brought into my existence.

Difference, big difference. And David here is truly

repenting. See, we look at David and we

said, man, these past few weeks have been kind of troublesome.

All we've been seeing is David messing up and David

experiencing the consequences of sin.

And yet still, the Bible has the audacity to crown him as a man

after God's heart. You know why?

Partly because this He really repented when he sinned.

Not that he didn't sin, but when he did sin, he really, really

repented. Remove this iniquity, take it

away from your servant. But look at the first part.

I have sinned what greatly go to Second Samuel 12.

And this is when Nathan the Prophet confronts David for his

adultery with Bathsheba. I've mentioned this before, so

this might be a reminder for many of you.

In Second Samuel chapter 12. Look at verse 3.

2 Samuel 12 · chapter mention

David said to Nathan. I have sinned against the Lord.

What's the difference? Chapter 24 He says What?

Yeah, so he's talking directly to the Lord instead of a

prophet. The Prophet's going to show up

in a few verses here, but what? What do we see here about his

confession pertaining to his sin?

He says in verse 10 of 24 I have sinned.

What? Greatly?

When he sinned with Bathsheba, what did he say?

I have sinned? He didn't say sinned greatly

when it came to David's pride, He said I've sinned greatly when

it came to his adultery, he says I have sinned.

How many of us in here would consider David's adultery a

greater offense than his pride? I think most of us.

But for some reason, David at this time sees his pride as a

very serious offense against God.

I don't know if we would see our pride the same way.

I don't know if we would calculate spiritual sin the same

way we would tangible sin. But David here provides with an

awakened, conscious, accurate assessment of this particular

sin. Name of the sin of pride.

He realizes how vile and despicable it really is.

You remember the seven things that are abomination to God,

right? And proverb 6.

What's the first thing on the list?

Anybody remember haughty eyes? You're right.

Other transitions would say a proud look.

The number one thing on the list of things that God hates is

pride. It's the mother of all sins.

It's the womb that brings forth the offspring of many offenses.

So David here, who fell into pride not just in the fact that

he wants to know the number, but and assuming that he had the

prerogative to change God's order for the senses, feels the

weightiness of this disgusting sin.

And he says I have sinned greatly.

I have sinned greatly. If you ask God to see sin the

way he sees sin, you will know a new maturity in your walk with

the Lord. Because many people calculate

the severity of sin based on the effect it might have in the

physical, but Paul defines that there are actually.

Sins of the spirit that might not be perceivable necessarily

by the eye, but that occupy the inner man.

And those sins are just as much sinful as things that you do

with your hands, or with your mouth, or with your feet, or

with any part of your body. Ask God, I challenge you.

Ask God, Lord, let me see sin the way you see sin, and you

would find yourself confessing the way David confessed when it

comes to things like pride, you will say.

Oh wow. Lord, cleanse me right?

Not that other sins are more to be tolerated, but we begin to

see other sins that we might have not considered serious.

And So what do we see here in verse 11?

And David arose. When David arose in the morning,

the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad.

Where you been Gad? David Sears saying, go and say

to David. Thus says the Lord, three things

Ioffer you choose. One of them that I may do it to

you. Pause.

When's the last time you've seen Gad?

Any idea? God.

Where you been? God give you a hint it's not in

the neighborhood of Second Samuel.

Any idea where God was last mentioned before this?

I'll give you another hint. It was at a very low point in

David's life. I'll give you another hint.

He wasn't a king yet. Any light bulbs?

I'll give you another hint. It was in a dark hole somewhere.

OK, First Samuel chapter 22, when David was in The Cave of

1 Samuel 22 · chapter mention

Adalam. The prophet Gad enters into that

cave and gives David direction of where to go, moving forward.

In other words, you don't have to turn there.

But if you'd like to, you can read the 1st 5 verses.

The last time Gad showed up in David's life, at least in

record, it was when David needed encouragement and direction from

a very dark place in his life. David wasn't necessarily in sin.

He was a fugitive running away from Saul, who was venomously

coming after him. And the next time you see God

appear in David's life is not necessarily to bring

encouragement, but to bring correction and to bring a very

hard truth, a hard warning, a word of judgment.

True friends know how to do both.

True messengers and vessels of God know how to do both.

You know how to encourage when a St. is brought low, and you know

how to redirect, even sometimes with difficult truths, when they

have lost their way, When they have lost their way.

And it could be because I wondered, I mean why didn't God

send Nathan? Nathan confronted him with

Bathsheba and it could be because of the nature of

Davidson, which was pride. He brings forth Gad as a

messenger because the the last time you seen Gad was when David

was a very humble man. And it could be that God's very

presence would remind David of his humble beginnings.

David, do you know where you came from?

I mean, maybe, maybe his very presence would elude that not

just the message, but the person who delivered the message might

have brought extra conviction to David, and he gives them a very

difficult decision to make. Here it is in verse 13.

So God came to David. And told them, and said to him,

Shall three years 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 3 days

pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what

answer I shall return to him who sent me.

How do you pick to pick your poison?

What do you want? You want famine to come for

three years? You want to flee for three

months? I mean, David was used to that

from your enemies or Three Days Pestilence.

David's answer is brilliant and rich in wisdom.

Look at verse 14. Then David said to God, I am in

great distress. Of course you are.

Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great.

But let not let me not fall into the hand of man.

You know what his answer is? Communicating God, Whichever one

of these punishments promise God as direct agent of it, I want

that one. I don't want the chastisement

where God uses human agency to interfere, because I know man

enough that he is capable of exaggerating and inflating.

What God originally attends in His goodness, even in difficult

trials. So wherever God's hand is

directly involved, give me that option.

Because His mercy is great, His mercy is great.

When I read that, I thought to myself, when it comes to the

attributes of God, there is little debate of the fact that

His justice and His Holiness is unlike man's.

But for some reason, it's very difficult for people to believe

the same about His mercy. His Holiness, His purity, His

judgments, He's super intends, and he supersedes.

All that man is concerning justice.

But when it comes to his idea of His grace and His mercy, we kind

of struggle with that. And David here had a revelation

that many people don't have. God is merciful even in His

judgments. He knows.

He knows the exact measure. He knows the exact extent to

which I should be under his heavy hand.

You know, I was reading a book. I'm in the New Testament now,

but a few days ago I was reading the book of Zechariah, and there

was this one verse that stood out to me and helped me remember

many of the things in the Old Testament specific in the

prophets. It's in Zechariah 115 and

Zechariah. 115 The Lord says something quite insightful, he

says. And I am exceedingly angry with

the nations that are at ease. For a while I was angry, but a

little they furthered the disaster.

When God judged Israel in his final phases of discipline, he

has a tendency of using Gentile nations as the instrument of His

judgment. And when God judges nations as a

whole, not just the people of God in the Old Covenant, when he

judges nations, I believe even today he uses foreign nations to

discipline that nation. So America better be careful.

She thinks she's strong. But what we're seeing now is a

weakening from the inside, making us vulnerable, from

enemies in the outside. One of the ways in which God

brings a finality to his chastisement, to a people group

is when a foreign nation rises up and takes over with power.

And yet, though this happened with Israel, God has a word of

condemnation for those nations. God intended to use Babylon in

his Syria to discipline his people.

But look what he says about them.

For a while I was angry, but a little.

They furthered the disaster. They took it further than what I

intended. They went beyond.

And that's why he ends up turning around and disciplining

those nations. It's no wonder God says

vengeance is mine, says the Lord.

Don't take vengeance upon yourself.

You know why that is the case. One of the reasons is this.

Because we have. And impairment, when it comes to

what we believe somebody should receive in return for the wrong

that they've done to us, meaning we don't tend to give people an

even retribution. We want to give more than what

they gave us. And that's because our hearts

are warped and we're poisoned and we're embittered.

And again, our understanding of justice becomes very much foggy

because of our fallenness. And so God says.

Let then just be mine, because I know exactly what to give to

somebody else. You don't.

In fact, in Isaiah 11, there's an incredible description of

King Jesus when he rules and reigns on the earth.

It says that he will not judge with his eyes or with his ears.

He will not need to see any evidence.

He will not. He need to hear from any Lord.

He doesn't need a jury when he will be the King of the nations.

All he will need is what he is omniscience, because it is

perfect knowledge of all things. Nobody needs to make a case.

He knows how to execute perfect judgment, perfect judgment.

And so we see here that David had that revelation.

The Lord knows exactly what to prescribe to me.

I don't want this to be given over to the authority of man.

So I fall upon the mercy of God. And God receives that and brings

it back to the Lord. And So what comes, what he

intended in his word, pestilence.

Pestilence comes. And how many people died?

Who remembers the number of verse?

1570 thousand people. Here's my question in closing of

our Bible study. Is this the first time

pestilence has been released upon the nation of Israel?

I'm not talking about Egypt. I'm not talking about the 10

plagues. I'm talking about the nation of

Israel. Give me the other instances

where pestilences or plagues have been unleashed upon God's

own people. Good, very good.

Where? Very good.

One of them is in numbers, Chapter 25.

Numbers 25 · chapter mention

In Numbers 25 nine we read Nevertheless, those who died by

the plague were 24,000. What was the nature of sin that

caused God to bring about this plague?

Do you remember? They were mingling with the

Mobite woman and part of that was false idol worship.

So it was idolatry and sexual immorality.

Slash adultery. God released the plague.

And how many died? 24,000 There's another plague.

I believe there's a total of three, including the one and

second same of 24 with the quail.

OK, it was that a plague necessarily?

You have to find the verse and you have to show us because I

have another. I have another incidence in mind

very close to that one. Well, what happened?

Was that a plague or were those serpents that came?

It wasn't the same as a pestilence.

I'm speaking specifically with pestilence.

You got the first one right? Yes.

OK. Challenging Moses is right, but

not with Miriam. Because Miriam received leprosy,

yes, but you're you're in the lane.

Not that. No, not that.

I'm thinking of something else again, If you believe there is

something, you have to show and prove it.

But I'm thinking of another incident.

You're there. I'm not going to give you any

hints. I gave you too many hints last

time. I'm not going to share anything.

Numbers 25 when they send with the woman of Moai.

And there's another place. Yeah, you can scale through your

Bibles. Just don't Google it.

Yes. Ah, he got it.

Did you hear it? The rebellion of Cora, when Cora

rose up to challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron,

and later on in #16, Because the people, even after the earth

opened up and swallowed up Cora and the those who associated

with him, the people still tried to convict Moses and condemn it

for what had happened. And it says here number 1645.

Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who

died in the affair of Korra. Unless there's something else

I'm missing, these are the only clear, explicit records of of

pestilences or plagues being released upon the nation of

Israel. When Korra rebelled, when the

men slept with the woman of Moab, and when David created his

senses. Now, out of all three, which one

had the most casualties? David's census.

And if it is true that in this case, that number signify a

message of the severity and the seriousness of a problem, then

could it be that the reason for this overshadowing scale of

death is because the greatest crime one can commit against God

is when one denies their need for atonement?

When you don't believe, you need to be redeemed?

Yes, adultery is a problem. Yes, idolatry is heinous.

Yes, rebelling against God's established authority is

something that you don't want to provoke God in.

But when it comes to you not confessing that you need the

atonement, that's the greatest offense that you can bring to

God. When you read Second

Thessalonians chapter one, you read how the Lord will return in

vengeance on those. And it says specifically who do

not obey the gospel, who do not obey the gospel because that is

the summation of the reason for God's judgment.

When He does return, He will look for those who have

ultimately denied their need for the blood of Jesus Christ to

cover them. And perhaps when you compare the

scale of God's judgment when it came to the senses, the fact

that there was 70,000 much more in comparison to the previous

two is to indicate that's how much God's anger is kindled to

those who refused to humble themselves in the realization of

their need of salvation. May God open our eyes and keep

us in that place of acknowledging our need for Him.

And if you have not received Jesus Christ as Lord, yes, your

sin is an offense to God. But the greatest offense that

you can bring to Him is after hearing the gospel, saying no

thank you. Acknowledging your existence

apart from the reality that you need to be saved and delivered,

is the ultimate offense before holy God.

Well, we thank you for this chapter, how rich it is.

So much more can be said, but we trust that what the Spirit has

spoken to us suffices for this night.

We've received our bread. We pray that these truths would

cause us to worship you with greater delight and joy.

We pray that you would prepare us to finalize these verses in

this chapter with even more excitement to see what you have

to say. But for the time being, Lord, we

pause to reflect and to worship you because you are rich in

love, rich in mercy, rich in wisdom.

And we've experienced it today. We've tasted it today, although

received glory and honor on this Friday night, from this family

of faith in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Isn't the Bible amazing?

Filled with power. Filled with power, filled with

glory. Well, you and I can rejoice

tonight for many things. And one of the things we can

rejoice in is the fact that our atonement, our atonement is the

basis for us to meet with God. Apart from the blood, we have no

fellowship. Apart from the blood, we have no

presence. Apart from the blood, we have no

contact with the living God. But because the silver has been

set and more precious and silver is his blood, we can actually

meet with God tonight. Why don't we stand and do that

as we worship?