Like all loving father, God cares about our religious and ethical character, and He desires to show us proper from fallacious. He has the facility to maintain us from temptation. However generally He decides to make use of it to assist us see our vulnerabilities and proper them. If we’re attentive and acknowledge it early or heed the warnings He sends our approach, then we might escape with none penalties. However generally we’ve got to be taught our classes the exhausting approach and that’s higher than not studying them in any respect.
David Takes a Census – 2 Samuel 24:1-10; (1 Chronicles 21:1-8)
Right here it says that God was mad at Israel for some motive and He incited David towards the individuals, telling him to take a census. However in 1 Chronicles 21:1 it says that Devil rose up towards Israel and moved David to take the census. So, who was it, God or Devil? When David instructed Joab to quantity the individuals, he tried to steer the king to not do it. He gave the impression to be saying, “Why does it matter what the quantity is? If we don’t have sufficient males proper now, God will present the quantity we’d like when the time comes. You’ve gotten entry to many extra males than these we might depend now.” Then, the chronicler provides that Joab thought taking the census would convey guilt on Israel (v. 3). However David didn’t pay attention and commanded that he quantity the individuals.
So, Joab set out together with his males, starting within the Southeastern nook of Israel, within the city of Aroer, 14 miles east of the Lifeless Sea, simply north of the Arnon River on the Moabite border. From there they traveled north to Jazer, which was in Gad close to the Ammonite’s land. They continued north by way of Gilead and Bashan which had been between the Jabbok and Yarmuk Rivers, then to the far north land of Dan, which was 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. This accomplished the census within the land on the jap facet of the Jordan River. So, they headed west to Sidon, within the north, on the Mediterranean coast, then south to Tyre, till they arrived on the southernmost a part of Israel, in Beersheba, which was 45 miles southwest of Jerusalem.
After finishing the counterclockwise circle, numbering all of the individuals, the chronicler tells us that he didn’t quantity the tribes of Levi and Benjamin (v. 6). Joab most likely knew the Levites weren’t speculated to be counted within the census since they had been servants of God (Numbers 1:47-49). Then, as a result of Jerusalem and Gibeon had been in Benjamin and that’s the place they provided sacrifices to the Lord, Joab didn’t depend Benjamin for David.
So, the northern tribes of Israel had 800,000 troopers, and the southern tribe of Judah had 500,000, which totals 1,300,000. However the chronicler says there was a complete of 1,100,000 and that Judah had 470,000 (v. 5). So, in Chronicles there are 200,000 much less troopers, and Judah has 30,000 much less males. Why the discrepancy? Presumably the 200,000 lacking troopers would have been discovered within the land of Benjamin and the writer of two Samuel was simply rounding when he reported the variety of troopers in Judah. However instantly after David heard the numbers, he was convicted that taking the census had been sinful in spite of everything. So, he confessed his sin and requested for forgiveness.
David’s Punishment – (2 Samuel 24:11-16); 1 Chronicles 21:9-15
God replied to David by way of the prophet Gad by giving him a alternative between three punishments. Israel might both endure three years of famine, three months of being pursued and killed by their enemies, or three days of God’s destruction by plague, with the angel of the Lord touring all through the land placing individuals lifeless. These had been three of the curses that God instructed the Israelites they may face in the event that they disobeyed Him after they settled within the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). David selected the plague, not as a result of it will be over with sooner, however as a result of he would reasonably be at God’s mercy than subjected to the wrath of their enemies.
So, the Lord despatched a plague that killed 70,000 individuals. That’s over 3 times the variety of males who died in Absalom’s insurrection. Then, after touring all through the land, the angel made his approach again to Jerusalem and stood simply exterior the town, on the threshing ground of Ornan the Jebusite. However because the angel stretched out his sword over Jerusalem, God stopped him saying, “It’s sufficient” (2 Samuel 24:16).
