2 Sam 24, 1 Chr 21
When David sinned with Bathsheba, we see him at his lowest point. He is made to confront his sin as Nathan the profit reminds him how God brought him up from being a shepherd boy to king over all of Israel. God humbled him and cut through his swollen pride to remind him of his true heart.
We would think after such a time as that David would be ‘home free.’ The story was played out, exposition, conflict, resolution, and all. David would be able to live righteously the rest of his life, ‘happily ever after.’
But we know that life isn’t like a fairy tale. As we talked about earlier this week, we all experience highs and lows. We have many story arcs throughout the years. And, David did too.
We don’t know how many years have passed since David and Bathesheba’s sin and the events we read about today. But, today we read about another step off the good and righteous path that David took. This blunder resulted in more than the death of one man and one child. It resulted in the death of 70,000 people.
In 1 Chr. 21, it says, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
David’s request seems pretty innocuous. Censuses happened throughout scripture, but generally, they occurred when God commanded them. (The first part of that passage is a whole different theological question… that we are not going to talk about today.) In this case, the people weren’t being numbered because it pleased God. They were being numbered so that David could be puffed up in pride over the strength of the army he had gathered. Even Joab, not a very righteous man, told David he was crazy for wanting to do this.
David’s guilt left him with a choice: How was he going to atone for his sins? The price of his sin turned out to be a disease against Israel, because of which 70,000 people died.
Finally, David fell to the ground and pleaded for God to stop for the sake of his ‘sheep’, the people of Israel. David bought an altar that would become the future site of the temple of God.
From today’s reading, we see:
- We should never think that we are ‘too righteous’ to never sin. No matter how long you walk with God, you have the potential to be tempted away from the right path. This does not mean that we live in fear. It means that we need to recognize the importance of relying on God.
- Our sins affect our community. When David did this thing, he chose to sin himself. But, his sins affected an entire nation. 70,000 people is more people than the US casualties in the Vietnam war… and every major US conflict since. We think we are doing things in isolation but they have far-reaching consequences for the people around us.
- God can use painful things for good. The altar that David sacrificed to end the plague ended up being the future site of the temple. Even evil situations can be redeemed by God and used for good – if we humble ourselves, repent, and ask God to enter into the situation.
How are you living today?
-Cayce Fletcher
Cayce blogs at https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, family, and life. You’ll find encouragement for how to build intentional lives rooted in faith and beauty. Check out the latest post on the human nature of Jesus here.
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever felt ‘too big to fail?’ What are some ways that we can cultivate humility in our lives?
- How does sin have far-reaching consequences? How have you seen others affected by sin that seemed like something done in secret and isolation?
- How can God use broken situations for good? Is there a broken situation in your life that you need to invite God into today?
Seek Grow Love 