2 Samuel 24:10-17
10 Now David’s heart troubled him after he had counted the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, Lord, please overlook the guilt of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,
12 “Go and speak to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am imposing upon you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do it to you.” ’ ”
13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee for three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”
14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
16 When the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented of the disaster and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now drop your hand!” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house!”
God’s Judgement
Choosing the punishment
After the census was completed, David himself began to feel the guilt in his conscience. He confessed his sin before God. (1) The next morning, the prophet Gad came to David to deliver the word of the Lord. (2) Gad told him that there were three possible punishments from the Lord: three years of famine (the mention of seven years is likely a scribal error), three months of fleeing from enemies, or three days of plague. Let us note that the shorter the time period, the more severe the judgment. (3) David replied, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands,” and he chose the third option – the plague. If he chose famine, he would have to rely on those who had food. If he chose fleeing, he would be pursued by enemies. David did not want to fall into the hands of man.
Reduced punishment
Thus, the judgment of God began. As a result of that judgment, 70,000 people died from the plague throughout all the regions where the census had been conducted. David was surely made to realize that what upholds a nation is not military strength, but the power of God. When the angel was about to bring the plague upon Jerusalem, the Lord said, “It is enough! Now drop your hand!” It says that “the Lord relented of the disaster.” This means that since man’s posture toward God changed, God also changed His posture toward man. (1) At that moment, the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. This location is Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered his son Isaac. Solomon’s temple would later be built on this very site. (2) When David saw the angel striking down the people, he offered a prayer of confession and intercession. The content of his prayer was that the people were not guilty, so he asked that the judgment fall on himself and his household instead. Since God’s judgment had not yet reached Jerusalem, he was able to pray in this way. This event became the background for David’s purchase of Araunah’s threshing floor. It is truly remarkable that the temple of Solomon would later be built on that very spot. Let us praise the name of the Lord, who works all things together for good.
Today's prayer
O God of Israel, You are the One who performs wonders. Please work all things together for good in my life as well. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.