Today's Reading:

2 Samuel 24
1 Chronicles  21
1 Chronicles  22
Psalm 30

Another book finished, you are over a third of the way through the year!

The first section of the readings today seemed to pit God versus Satan. Did David use discernment? We must listen for God. In a grace-filled moment, David took full blame for the deaths, saying, “I have sinned” He was instructed by the prophet Gad to build an altar where the angel stood. David had shifted from trust in God to trust in the numbers of fighting men because he allowed Satan to get into his head.

This was not the first census in Scripture, but it was the one that God did not approve of because David’s reasoning for taking it was trust in his military strength versus trust in God. Here is a list of the censuses:

1. Wilderness Census, taken by Moses (Numbers 1).
2. Levites Census, taken by Moses (Numbers 3).
3. Second Census, taken by Moses (Numbers 26).
4. David’s Census, taken by David (2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21).
5. Exile Return Census, taken by Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7).

The census that began pride and brought judgment led to the place where God’s presence would dwell, the future site of the Temple. Even in our failures, God can redeem the story and turn it towards worship.

Is there an area in your life right now where you are tempted to trust in your own strength instead of God’s? How does David’s story and the way God turned the census into the Temple site?
 

 

Near the end of David’s reign, he took a census of all the fighting men. In 2 Samuel 24, Scripture said God’s anger incited David to take the census, but in 1 Chronicles 21:1, it is written that Satan incited David to take the census. God was angry with all of Israel, not just David. His anger may have been due to the nation’s following of Absalom, who was not the anointed king. Joab questioned David, but was given no answer, just overruled!

Joab and his men crossed the Jordan and headed north to take the census, circling around and coming back through the desert of Negev. It took the men over nine months to travel all of Israel. The number of fighting men appears to show a discrepancy, with 800,000 in Israel (N), and 500,000 in Judah (S). Neither number is wrong. The census in 1 Chronicles 21, included all seasoned men who could draw a sword. The lower numbers from 2 Samuel may not have included those who had not fought before or were young and not fully valiant. This explains the difference of 300,000 men. In 1 Chronicles 27:1-15, Scripture lists 12-month divisions of 24,000 men each, which equates to 288,000 men with an additional 12,000 in Jerusalem bringing the grand total to approximately 1,100,000 when both accounts are considered.

Again, there are differences between the books of Samuel and Chronicles. 2 Samuel focused on the king and immediate military and political matters. 1 Chronicles was a comprehensive view of the whole nation.

David confessed his sin of pride and self-reliance. God gave him three options of punishment:

• Three years of famine
• 3 months of fleeing enemies
• 3 days of plagues

God is omniscient, He knows the course of events. No matter which option David would have chosen the final results would have been the same in God’s plan. David chose the plague as he would rather have the wrath of God’s hands over human hands, as He gives more mercy. The Lord sent the plague and 70,000 Israelites died. As the angel of the Lord (Christophany) was destroying Israel, and came to Jerusalem, God relented and stopped the angel at the threshing floor of Araunah/ Ornan the Jebusite (from Jerusalem but not an Israelite).

David bought the threshing floor at full price, refusing it as a free gift, knowing a true sacrifice must cost him something personally. This land was on Mount Moriah; this is the same area where Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He built an altar for the Lord. God uses evil (the census) to bring good (building the altar). David bought the threshing floor and oxen for 50 shekels of silver, and the entire site for 600 shekels. The two different amounts were likely two separate transactions. One for the threshing floor and oxen, another for the entire site of land that would eventually become the site for the Temple. The information about Araunah’s threshing wheat with his sons was mentioned in 1 Chronicles, but not in 2 Samuel. His sons hid when they saw the angel (remember they were not Israelites but would have known the power of God). Fire came down from heaven on the altar with divine approval.

1 Chronicles 22 was like an entire extra center page spread of a newspaper dedicated to the Temple preparation. Back in 2 Samuel 7, God had told David that he could not build the Temple since he was a man of war. He now tells Solomon to build His Temple. David prepared the building materials for Solomon to build; since his son was a man of peace and rest. Solomon was about twenty years old at the time. David told him to build the Temple so that the Ark of the Covenant and the sacred items could have a permanent home. The Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem (Zion, the City of David), in a tent guarded by the Levites. The Temple would take 7 years to build. David gathers massive amounts of materials: iron, bronze, cedar, wood, gold, silver and stone. He organized workers of masons, carpenters, and foreigners in the land. He instructed Solomon to build the Temple, reminding him to be strong and courageous. David’s heart had moved from personal guilt about the census of warriors to preparing for the future Temple. He wanted it to be “exceedingly magnificent” for the Lord.

Psalm 30
This was a psalm about the dedication of the Temple. It was a joyful song of praise by David. David praised the Lord for rescuing him from the brink of death. He called for all to praise God because trials and sorrows are only temporary. He had felt secure like the arrogant who forgot that He made the mountains stand. The Lord reminded them of who was in control. David prayed hard for help knowing that if he died, he could no longer praise the Lord from the grave. This was a common theme that the dead could not praise God from Sheol. David vowed eternal praise to the Lord.

Today's Discussion question: 

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