DAVID COUNTS THE FIGHTING MEN DAVID BUILDS AN ALTAR 2 SAMUEL 24:1-25

Transcription

1 1 DAVID COUNTS THE FIGHTING MEN DAVID BUILDS AN ALTAR 2 SAMUEL 24:1-25

2 2 Text: 2 Samuel 24:1-25, David Counts the Fighting Men David Builds an Altar 1. Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." 2. So the king said to Joab and the army commanders ] with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are." 3. But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" 4. The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. 5. After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7. Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8. After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand. 10. David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I

3 3 have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." 11. Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer: 12. "Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' " 13. So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me." 14. David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." 15. So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17. When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family." 18. On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19. So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad. 20. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

4 Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped." 22. Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." 24. But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25. David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. (NIV) Introduction: I. Coffman dated the events of this chapter to near the end of David s reign. A. The Pulpit Commentary states, It is probable that this chapter once stood in intimate connection with chapter 21, and that the famine therein described was followed by a pestilence, of which the blame largely rested upon David, though the sin punished by it was fully shared by the people Samuel 21:1-14, During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel

5 5 and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." "What do you want me to do for you?" David asked. They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul the Lord 's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you." The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) David brought the bones of Saul and his son

6 6 Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. (NIV) B. Anderson stated that 2 Samuel 24 is at least editorially linked with 2 Samuel 21:1-14. II. 2 Samuel 24 can be divided into three (3) sections, Anderson wrote. A. The Census (verses 1-9),... B. The Plague (verses 10-17),... C. The Purchase of the Threshing Floor (verses 18-25). Commentary: David Counts the Fighting Men 2 Samuel 24:1, Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." (NIV) I. Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and... A. Yahweh previously had displayed anger toward Judah during the three (3) years of famine, Smith wrote Samuel 21:1-14, During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of

7 7 Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." "What do you want me to do for you?" David asked. They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul the Lord 's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you." The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, he went

8 8 and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. (NIV) B. The reason for the Lord s anger on this occasion is not stated, Smith observed, but Coffman attributes the Lord s anger against Israel to be due to their support of Absalom s and Sheba s rebellions. 1. God was, as a matter of fact, angry with Israel many times. Note: The word Israel in verses 1a and 2 refers to the whole nation while the same word in verses 1b and 9 refers to the northern tribes. II. he incited David against them, saying, Go and take a census of Israel and Judah. A. Here it is said God incited David to act sinfully in regard to taking this census while 1 Chronicles 21:1 states that Satan moved David to take the census. (See Smith.) 1. 1 Chronicles 21:1, Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. (NIV) 2. James 1:13-14, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted,

9 9 when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (KJV) 3. Spence via Smith wrote, This is a striking instance of attributing directly to God whatever comes from under his permission. 4. God s purpose in testing mankind is to make us stronger while Satan tempts mankind to cause us to sin and to destroy us. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) B. Coffman made the statement, If God had indeed commanded David to number Israel, it could not have been a sin for him to have done so Chronicles 21:1, Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. (NIV) 2. Coffman further wrote, God does not move men to do certain things and then punish them for it. 3. David exercised his free will, yielded to Satan s temptation, to number the fighting men and God did not over rule David s free will. 4. David was determined to number the fighting men and God allowed it. a. God told Balaam, Go with the men, because Balaam was determined to do so. i. Numbers 22:35, The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (NIV)

10 10 b. Pharaoh hardened his own heart and God hardened his heart; that is, permitted it to occur. c.... and so it was with David regarding the census. d. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (NIV) e. Isaiah 28:10-13, For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there." Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, to whom he said, This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose" but they would not listen. So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured. (NIV) f. Coffman wrote, Oriental conviction acknowledges the great truth that all actions, both good and bad, are of God. Nothing good or bad happens without divine permission, The Pulpit Commentary states. i. Amos 3:1-15, Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel

11 11 against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins." Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing? Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no snare has been set? Does a trap spring up from the earth when there is nothing to catch? When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken who can but prophesy? Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people." "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses." Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses." This is what the LORD says: "As a shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites be saved, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches." "Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob," declares the Lord, the LORD God

12 12 Almighty. "On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the LORD. (NIV) ii. What is meant is that nothing on earth ever happens, whether good or bad, which is not covered under the blanket of God s permissive will. (Coffman) iii. Verse 1 is to be understood from this perspective. 2 Samuel 24:2, So the king said to Joab and the army commanders ] with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are." (NIV) I. So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him,... A. The king prepared to issue the order to number the people, a very unwise thing to do. B. David and thousands of other rulers have issued decrees and followed policies which have been detrimental to all concerned. C. While the exact time of this census cannot be definitely determined, it had to be a time of extended peace in order for Joab and the army commanders to be freed for nine (9) months, twenty (20) days from their military duty.

13 13 II. Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are. A. The census workers were to go through the entire land from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 1. Scriptures: a. 1 Samuel 3:20, And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. (NIV) b. 2 Samuel 17:11, "So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba as numerous as the sand on the seashore be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. (NIV) 2. Those able to serve as soldiers (fighting men) from twentyone (21) years of age and over were to be counted. a. 1 Chronicles 27:23, David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. (NIV) 3. Coffman asked, Just why was this a sin? 1. Joab knew it was wrong and David later confessed he had sinned in regard to the census. 2. Various suggestions have been made as to why this census was sinful including the possibilities that it was taken for: a. boasting rights,...

14 14 b. military expansion,... c. levying heavier taxes, and... d. increasing the forced labor pool. 3. the Pulpit commentary took the position that David had in mind to pridefully maximize the size of his army for the purpose of launching an aggressive attack on neighboring nations. 4. David was interested only in counting men of military age. a. David should have placed his faith in God, not in the size of his army. b. 1 Samuel 14:6, Jonathan said to his young armorbearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." (NIV) c. Isaiah 31:1, Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. (NIV) 2 Samuel 24:3, But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" (NIV)

15 15 I. But Joab replied to the king, May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. A. Joab correctly saw this census as being sinful and he tried to dissuade David from this unwise numbering of the fighting men. 1. What made this census sinful? 2. Smith observed that merely taking a census was not wrong because Moses took two (2) censuses. a. Numbers 1:1-3, The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. (NIV) b. Numbers 26:1-4a, After the plague the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel." So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, "Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the LORD commanded Moses." (NIV) c. Exodus 30:11-13, Then the LORD said to Moses, "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his

16 16 life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. (NIV) 3. Several possible reasons have been suggested as to why David s census was sinful, but the Bible does not specifically state why this census was sinful. a. God can save by few or many. b. David appeared to place his confidence on this occasion in a large army rather than in God for victory. II. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing? A. Joab, supported by his commanders, protested as vigorously as was feasible under the circumstances. B. David had made an emotional decision and would not be dissuaded by Joab s logic. 2 Samuel 24:4, The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. (NIV) I. The king s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders;... A. Those in authority are not necessarily right in their decisions.

17 There are times when those in authority should heed the advice of those under their rule. 2. Of course, there are times when advice should not be accepted. 3. This time David certainly should have heeded Joab s advice. II. so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. A. Joab and his commanders obeyed orders, but they didn t have their hearts in their work Chronicles 21:6, But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. (NIV) 2. 1 Chronicles 27:23-24, David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. Wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David. (NIV) 3. Joab and his men did not count all the people, but only the valiant men who drew the sword, Coffman wrote, and omitted the tribes of Levi and Benjamin. 2 Samuel 24:5, After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. (NIV)

18 18 I. After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then... A. The census takers crossed the Jordan River and began the census in the Transjordan. 1. Deuteronomy 2:36, From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. (NIV) 2. Joshua 13:9, 16, It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba (NIV) B. Aroer was originally an Amorite city situated on the northern rim of a canyon overlooking the Arnon River, the southern boundary of the Amorite kingdom of Sihon and subsequently assigned to Reuben. (Bromiley) 1. Joshua 13:25, The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; (NIV) C. The phrase, south of the town in the Gorge, (The city that is in the midst of the valley), may have reference to the river of Gad. 1. The ravine of Gad is probably the Arnon River Valley. (Youngblood) 2. These same places are mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:36 as forming the southern boundary of the territory taken by Israel

19 19 from Sihon, Coffman wrote quoting the International Critical Commentary. a. Deuteronomy 2:36, From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. (NIV) b. Deuteronomy 3:12, Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. (NIV) c. Deuteronomy 4:48, This land extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), (NIV) II. went through Gad and on to Jezer. A. The census workers traveled through the territory allotted to the tribe of Gad. B. They proceeded on to Jezer, a Levitical city some seven (7) miles west-southwest of modern Amman. 1. Numbers 32:1, 3, 35, The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon-Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, (NIV) 2. Joshua 13:25, The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; (NIV)

20 Joshua 21:39, Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands four towns in all. (NIV) 2 Samuel 24:6, They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. (NIV) I. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and... A. Gilead was the territory between the Jabbak and Yarmuk Rivers, (See Smith.) east of the Jordan River. Note: Smith wrote, There seems to be an attempt here by the narrator to trace the outer boundaries of the David kingdom....all the towns within these boundaries were subject to the census. (Anderson agreed.) B. Tahtim Hodski (Kadesh) was located on the upper Orontes River, and was an important Hittite stronghold just south of Lake Homs, the ancient lake Kadesh, located strategically at the gateway to the plains of Syria. 1. Some question associating Tahtim Hadshi with Kadesh. C. The census workers, moving south to north, took their count in Reuben, then Gad, and then to the half tribe of Manasseh. II. on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. A. Dan Jaan (Dan-jaar; i.e., Dan of the wood), most often known simply as Dan, was the northenmost city of Israel. (See Smith.) 1. The Pulpit Commentary suggests Dan and Ijon may be the correct reading.

21 21 a. 1 Kings 15:20, Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. (NIV) b. Ijon was on the direct road from Dan to Sidon. (The Pulpit Commentary) B. Sidon was the great Phoenician city which probably marked the northwest corner of David s kingdom but likely was not a part of David s domain. (See Smith.) 1. Beth Sidon and Tyre had apparently placed themselves under David s protection. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 2 Samuel 24:7, Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. (NIV) I. Then they went toward the fortress (stronghold) of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. A. Another great Phoenician city, Tyre, was located twenty-seven (27) miles from Dan. (See Smith.) 1. Joshua 19:29, The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the sea in the region of Aczib, (NIV) B. They then proceeded south through the old towns occupied primarily by the native people, Smith stated, who had not been exterminated. (See Smith.)

22 The Hivites were the original inhabitants of Shechem and Gibeon. (See Smith.) a. Genesis 34:2, When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. (NIV) b. Joshua 9:7, The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?" (NIV) c. Judges 3:3, the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. (NIV) d. Genesis 10:17, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, (NIV) 2. Canaanites refers to the other native tribes which occupied the land before Israel until Joshua invaded Palestine. 3. Evidently foreign people living in David s domain were required to furnish soldiers for the Israelite army and, consequently, were included in the census. (See the Pulpit Commentary.) II. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. A. The census workers continued going south until they reached Beersheba in the Judean desert wilderness (Negev/Negeb) some forty-five (45) miles southwest of Jerusalem (See Smith.), the southern-most city (major settlement) of the promised land. 1. Isaiah 9:1, Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the

23 23 land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan- (NIV) 2. 2 Chronicles 2:17, Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. (NIV) 2 Samuel 24:8, After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. (NIV) I. After they had gone through the entire land,... A. Their route had taken a somewhat rectangular path once they arrived back in Jerusalem. II. they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine (9) months and twenty (20) days. A. This journey took nine (9) months and twenty (20) days. B. However, they had much work to do all of which was not completed even in these nine (9) months and twenty (20) days Chronicles 21:6, But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. (NIV) 2. 1 Chronicles 27:24, Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. Wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David. (NIV)

24 24 C. This census provided markedly different results then those of an earlier census. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 1. 1 Samuel 13:19-22, Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. (NIV) 2 Samuel 24:9, Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand. (NIV) I. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king:... A. Joab returned to Jerusalem and reported to David the results of the census. II. In Israel there were eight hundred thousand (800,000) able-bodied men who could handle a sword,... A. Able-bodied men were physically healthy men of unusual courage and military skill. (See Smith.) B. The number of able-bodied men in Israel and Judah would extrapolate to a total Israelite population of some five million (5,000,000), Anderson noted.

25 25 III. and in Judah five hundred thousand. A. Smith concluded that separating the men of Judah from those of Israel shows the continued rivalry between north and south in the reign of David. B. Smith further wrote, The reported census results are considerably different in Chronicles (30,000 less in Judah, and 300,000 more in Israel, for a total difference of 270,000) Chronicles 21:5, Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah. (NIV) 2. Smith stated that the difference may be due to a textual corruption of one or the other passage and/or differences in the subgroups which were included. 3. Joab refused to number Levi and Benjamin, the former because they were exempt from military service, the latter possibly in order to avoid exciting disaffection in a tribe especially ready to take offense, Smith wrote. a. Numbers 1:47-50, The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted along with the others. The LORD had said to Moses: "You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. (NIV)

26 Dettoff via Coffman attributed many of the numerical discrepancies in the Old Testament to the imperfections of the Hebrew system of writing numerals and imperfections in the manuscripts that have come down to us. 2 Samuel 24:10, David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." (NIV) I. David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD,... A. David at some later time realized the sinfulness of his action. 1. David s census order was arrogant, a distrust of God, and the action of a worldly king, not a king whose God would give victory. (See Smith.) B. Because David was about to boast proudly and to glory in the number of the people, God determined to punish him by reducing their number by famine, war or pestilence. At the same time the people themselves had sinned grievously against God and their king through two rebellions headed by Absalom and Sheba, Keil wrote via Coffman. II. I have sinned greatly in what I have done. A. Clarke wrote, We know not exactly in what this sin consisted.... Probably David now began to covet an extension of empire, and purposed to unite some of the neighboring states with his own;... III. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant.

27 27 A. David had sinned against God and he now asked God to help him take away his guilt. B. How many of us sin against God one day and, when we find ourselves in trouble, ask for help the next day. IV. I have done a very foolish thing. A. He realized his foolishness and confessed it for what it was Samuel 13:13, "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. (NIV) 2. 2 Chronicles 16:9, For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." (NIV) B. Do we recognize the foolishness of others more quickly than we recognize our own foolishness? 2 Samuel 24:11, Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer: (NIV) I. Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David s seer:... A. God s answer to David s prayer was prompt! 1. The next morning God dispatched the prophet/seer to David. (See Smith.)

28 28 a. Gad had last appeared in 1 Samuel 22:5 when he warned David to return from the land of Moab. (Smith) i. 1 Samuel 22:5, But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth. (NIV) b. Smith wrote, Gad was David s seer, i.e., a personal counselor, one who sees, a gazer into the hidden world. c. Clarke wrote that Gad was a holy man of God, under the divine influence, whom David had as a domestic chaplain. 2 Samuel 24:12, "Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' " (NIV) I. Go and tell David, This is what the LORD says:... A. Gad spoke as God directed. We are to speak exactly as God directs us in the Holy Scriptures. II. I am giving you three options. A. God gave David three (3) choices from which to select his punishment; viz., Three (3) years of famine in the land. a. 1 Chronicles 21:12, three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of

29 29 the sword of the LORD -days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.' Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me." (NIV) 2. Three (3) months of fleeing from his enemies. 3. Three (3) days of plague in the land. III. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you. A. God gave David, by way of punishment for his sins, three (3) options. 2 Samuel 24:13, So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me." (NIV) I. So Gad went to David and said to him,... A. Gad relayed to David exactly what God had said. B. God s word, then and now, must be proclaimed exactly as spoken by the Lord. II. Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? A. The King James Version reads seven years which is clearly a copyist s error. B. Three (3) years,...

30 30 III. Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? A. Three (3) months,... IV. Or three days of plague in your land? A. Three (3) days,... V. Ezekiel and Jeremiah mentioned famine, pestilence and the sword as desolations. These are specified here as options from which David was to choose one (1). A. Ezekiel 14:21, "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments sword and famine and wild beasts and plague to kill its men and their animals! (NIV) B. Jeremiah 14:12, Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague." (NIV) C. Jeremiah 15:2, And if they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: " 'Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.' (NIV) D. Jeremiah 21:7, 9, After that, declares the LORD, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.' Whoever stays in this

31 31 city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life. (NIV) E. Jeremiah 24:10, I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.' " (NIV) F. Jeremiah 27:8, " ' "If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand. (NIV) G. Ezekiel 5:12, A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword. (NIV) H. Ezekiel 6:12, He that is far away will die of the plague, and he that is near will fall by the sword, and he that survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I spend my wrath upon them. (NIV) V. Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me. A. David was to carefully consider his decision. B. In war and famine David would have been personally and relatively safe as he would not be with his troops and his wealth would have protected him from the effects of the famine. C. In the pestilence plague option, David was in equal danger with all others of being smitten.

32 32 D. Think it over, advise and see, Samuel 12:17, Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king." (NIV) 2. 1 Samuel 14:38, Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. (NIV) 3. 1 Samuel 23:22, Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. (NIV) 4. 1 Samuel 24:11, See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. (NIV) 5. 1 Samuel 25:17, Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him." (NIV) 2 Samuel 24:14, David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." (NIV) I. David said to Gad, I am in deep distress.

33 33 A. All three (3) choices were severe punishments and it was difficult for David to make a decision. II. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great;... A. David requested that the Lord decide between famine and plague. B. Only the plague option would remove the human element and place David and the nation directly at God s mercy. 1. David well knew that God s mercy was great. 2. David depended on God s mercy. 3. David cast himself on God s mercy. C. David had sinned against God and unto God s mercy he submitted himself. 1. Psalm 50:1, The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. (NIV) III. but do not let me fall into the hands of men. A. David, as a warrior, declined the option to fall into the hands of his enemies knowing full well what this would involve for himself, his army and the general population. 2 Samuel 24:15, So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. (NIV)

34 34 I. So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated,... A. The plague began without delay that very morning and lasted less than the three (3) days originally stated. B. The time designated was the time determined by God s wisdom and may have involved a single day, Smith suggested. C. This plague lasted from morning to the appointed time, i.e., the time of afternoon sacrifice. (See Coffman.) D. Clarke simply concluded tha tthe plague lasted less than the three (3) full days predicted. E. The Pulpit Commentary concurs with the idea that the plague lasted only a few hours. F. Anderson wrote, It seems that the plague lasted hardly a day, but its severity was very great. II. and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. A. This plague killed seventy thousand (70,000) people throughout the land, north to south, from Dan to Beersheba, in a matter of hours. (Smith) 1. David s census was ordered, Smith suggested, because he wanted more land and people to govern. 2. If this plague, as Youngblood and Smith suggest, targeted the fighting men, David now had seventy thousand fewer fighting men than he had before the plague.

35 This lessened David s prospects of increasing his reign over more land and people. 4. This is a vast number to fall victim of the pestilence in so short a time, as even the most dangerous forms of sickness take some days for their development. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) a. This was clearly an act of God. b. Remember the deaths of the Egyptian firstborn and,.. c. The army of Sennacherib. i. Isaiah 37:36, Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! (NIV) B. Seventy thousand (70,000) innocent men dead because of the sin of the king, and this is not the last time this kind of thing has happened. 2 Samuel 24:16, When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (NIV) I. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem,... A. God s angel had been commissioned to execute God s will regarding the plague.

36 Chronicles 21:15, And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (NIV) B. The plague, having spread throughout the land, was ready to strike Jerusalem. II. The LORD was grieved (repented) because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people,... A. God was grieved because of the calamity visited upon the people and ordered the angel to stop the plague, not to strike Jerusalem. B. God s dealings with mankind are dependent upon human conduct. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) III. Enough! Withdraw your hand. A. Sin had to be punished, but God s mercy stopped the plague before it had run its full course. IV. The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. A. Smith wrote, Threshing floors were constructed on knolls to catch the wind for winnowing the grain Chronicles 21:15, 20, And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the

37 37 LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. (NIV) B. This particular threshing floor was owned by Araunah (Ornan), a Jebusite; that is, a descendent of the pre-israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem (Jebus). (See Smith.) 1. Araunah is variously rendered Avarnah and Araniah. 2 Samuel 24:17, When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family." (NIV) I. When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD,... A. David literally saw the angel Chronicles 21:16, 20, David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. (NIV) 2. This was emphatically not a natural disaster!

38 38 II. I am the one who has sinned and done wrong, (wickedly, perversely, crookedly). A. David prayed to God taking full responsibility for ordering the census and for all sins, wrongs and transgressions, perverseness and crookedness associated with it. III. These are but sheep. A. The people were only innocent sheep in the matter. B. Why then, did the Lord not strike David dead and spare the innocent people. C. Smith wrote, David pled that God s hand might be on him personally and on his family. This willingness to accept all the blame and all the punishment is probably what moved the Lord to call off the plague. D. Clarke wrote, The people generally suffer for the miscarriages of their governors; this has been observed in every age. E. One sign of sincerity and true repentance is taking responsibility for one s own actions and refraining from blaming others for one s troubles. IV. What have they done? A. They had done nothing to produce the plague, David suggested. B. However, Smith wrote, Israel had in fact sinned. By supporting the rebellion of Absalom in such large numbers they had repudiated for a time God s anointed king. Israel was punished for tolerating the Absalom and Sheba rebellions. David was punished by seeing his potential military force devastated.