“Power Gone Too Far” – FBC Morning Light (4/24/2024)

David’s Census, Satan’s Temptation, and Divine Chastening

Well, a good Wednesday morning to you. Today we're reading in 2 Samuel 24 and then the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21 and going to chapter 22 verse 1, and then Psalm 103. And of course, there's a great deal of challenge when you read these passages together, 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21.

I'm not going to deal with all of the challenges in these two passages, but I want to zero in on one idea, but we have to acknowledge this one difference between those two passages. Here in 2 Samuel 24, verse 1 says that the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, go number Israel and Judah.

But you read in 1 Chronicles 21, in the first verse, that it was Satan that moved David to do this numbering of Israel. So how do you reconcile that? And the way I would reconcile it is simply this. We have to always keep in mind when we think about the wicked one, Satan, that he's God's devil.

He's not independent of God, he can't do what he wants to do without God's approval, and we see that in the book of Job, at the beginning of the book of Job. So let's keep that in mind. Martin Luther put it this way, he says that the devil is God's devil.

He's got him on a leash, if you will. So the way I put these two things together is this. For some reason, some prevailing sin was going on in Israel at this particular time, and as a means of bringing chastening upon Israel, the Lord allowed Satan, used Satan, to tempt David and play on David's pride and his arrogance.

Here's what I mean. When David is moved to number Israel and Judah, he's being counseled against doing so. In verse 2, he commands Joab, the commander of his army, to go throughout all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people, David says, that I may know the number of the people.

Now this was something that Lord prohibited from doing. And Joab said to the king, here's Joab replying to that demand with some reason, some sound reason, and he says, Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it.

But why does my lord the king desire this thing? In other words, Joab is saying, look, don't do this, this is not right, don't make me do this. But you know, when a man's position and power goes to his head, he can develop an attitude, a sinful attitude, of invincibility, like he is above the law, that he doesn't have to obey the things that everybody else has to obey.

And we see this in politicians and things like that far too often, don't we? Well, this is David. He's come to a place of power and prominence and being able to do just about anything he wants to do, and you know, nobody objects.

But here Joab objects. He's counseling him against this unwise course of action. But what does David do in verse 4? Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army.

So when I put all this together, I think, number one, there was some kind of prevailing sin problem in Israel that needed to be dealt with, there needed to be chastening for that sin. That number two, David had developed a sense of pride and perhaps a sense of invincibility, feeling like he could do whatever he wanted to do, and it would be okay.

And the Lord needed to deal with that attitude in his heart, and so he allowed Satan, who is on his leash, he allowed Satan to tempt David and provoke David to put into David's mind this idea of going and counting the people of Israel, and so he did.

And having done so, he brought upon himself and his people the chastening of the Lord. Now another interesting point to note is the Chronicler, in First Chronicles, he puts this incident prior to the plans and preparations for the building of the temple, and it seems like there's an emphasis being placed there that the temple, a place of forgiveness and sacrifice and atonement for sin, it's a key placement for David's sin and dealing with the guilt of that sin and the punishment to follow.

The Temple, Sacrifice, and Atonement for Sin

What's the answer to that sin? The answer is the atoning sacrifices at the temple. Well, I'm grateful that the sacrifices for sin have been all dealt with and fulfilled in the one sacrifice for sin in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And so, you know, if the wicked one has so worked in your heart and aroused you to disobey the Lord in some way, and there's been an expression of arrogant rebellion against the Lord, and he's chastened you for it, well, you know what?

There's a sacrifice for that, the sacrifice of Jesus. So you can go to the Lord in true repentance and confession and find forgiveness for that sin. Our Father and our God, we thank you for the warning that we find in this incident with David, but I also thank you, Father, for how you and your grace have provided for sin to be dealt with.

Thank you for these things in Jesus' name and for his sake, amen. All right, well, listen, have a good rest of your Wednesday. May the Lord give you a good remainder of the day. God bless.