KING DAVID'S CENSUS

 PRIDE BUSTERS

KING DAVID'S PRIDE

Once again the anger of the Lord flared against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a national census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.  2 Samuel 24:1 TLB

"HE" WHO ENTICED KING DAVID INTO THE SIN OF PRIDE IS SATAN.

Then Satan brought disaster upon Israel, for he made David decide to take a census.          1 Chronicles 21:1 TLB

DAVID MADE GOD FURIOUS.  DISOBEYING GOD, HE ORDERED JOAB TO TAKE A CENSUS.

So the king said to Joab, commander-in-chief of his army, “Take a census of all the people from one end of the nation to the other, so that I will know how many of them there are.”

But Joab replied, “God grant that you will live to see the day when there will be a hundred times as many people in your kingdom as there are now! But you have no right to rejoice in their strength.”  

2 Samuel 24:2-3 TLB

JOAB LET DAVID KNOW,  YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE PROUD AND REJOICE IN THEIR STRENGTH BY TAKING A CENSUS.

But the king’s command overcame Joab’s remonstrance; so Joab and the other army officers went out to count the people of Israel.  First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the city that lies in the middle of the valley of Gad, near Jazer;  then they went to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon;  and then to the stronghold of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and south to Judah as far as Beersheba.  Having gone through the entire land, they completed their task in nine months and twenty days.  And Joab reported the number of the people to the king—800,000 men of conscription age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.   2 Samuel 24:4-9  TLB

HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTED KING DAVID OF HIS SIN OF PRIDE.  THIS IS GOD'S KINGDOM!

But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him, and he said to the Lord, “What I did was very wrong. Please forgive this foolish wickedness of mine.”  2 Samuel 24:10 TLB

3 CHOICES OF PUNISHMENT

The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s contact with God.

The Lord said to Gad, “Tell David that I will give him three choices.”

So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose seven years of famine across the land, or to flee for three months before your enemies, or to submit to three days of plague? Think this over and let me know what answer to give to God.”

“This is a hard decision,” David replied, “but it is better to fall into the hand of the Lord (for his mercy is great) than into the hands of men.”    2 Samuel 24:11-14 TLB

WHICH ONE: 7 YEAR FAMINE?  FLEE 3 MONTHS FROM YOUR ENEMIES?  OR 3 DAY PLAGUE?

So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days; and seventy thousand men died throughout the nation.   2 Samuel 24:15 TLB

GOD SPARED JERUSALEM

But as the death angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was sorry for what was happening and told him to stop. He was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time.  2 Samuel 24:16 TLB

SOLOMON'S TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT ON THE THRESHING FLOOR IN THE FUTURE.

When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned! What have these sheep done? Let your anger be only against me and my family.”

That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  So David went to do what the Lord had commanded him.  

2 Samuel 24:17-19 The Living Bible

KING DAVID REPENTED FROM HIS PRIDE.  AND HE BUILT AN ALTAR AND SACRIFICED FOR HIS SIN.

WHEN THE LEADER OF A NATION SINS, THE ENTIRE NATION SUFFERS!