2Samuel 24:1-10
Mercy Meets Judgment
We continue in the last section of Scripture that deals with David’s life. I
mentioned last week, that David will not finish his race with a great fire. Sadly,
David sort of limps across the finish line of life.
You can see this in several places:
1. \\#2Samuel 21:1\\ It took David three years to enquire of the Lord as to
why Israel was in a famine. That might indicate Israel is not the only
one who is in a drought.
2. \\#2Sam 21:15-17\\ David was fighting "one of the sons of the giant," who
I would suppose means a son of Goliath, when he grew faint and was almost
slain. From that time forward, David will not go forth to the battle.
3. In our text today, another sin of David (and its judgment) is recorded.
Now, I am not trying to be down on David. Some of this has to do with his age and
that is something we can’t help, but most everything that is recorded about David
looks negative.
Perhaps the weight of David’s sin and the effect it has on his family and kingdom
left David broken. Maybe he stopped dreaming the big dreams for God. We don’t
know anything for certain but it leaves us with a sad feeling and a solemn warning
about sin.
Let’s look at tonight’s text.
I. \\#1\\ God was angry with Israel.
A. Why?
1. There is only one answer.
2. They were sinning.
a. The sins they are committing may not be listed, but they are
present.
b. I alluded to the possibility that the reason God send the
famine to the land in \\#2Sam 21:1\\ was because there was
a famine of the Word of God in the land.
c. It might also be that David was not the only one who was
spiritually dry.
3. A lack of the Word of God along with a lack of spiritual
devotion will surely lead to making some sinful decisions.
a. We live physically where we are spiritually.
b. We make decisions based on our walk with God (or the absence of a
walk with God).
c. Being backslid puts us in a place where we will make some
very bad decisions.
B. Israel’s condition caused God to move a righteous man to do a foolish
thing.
1. The text clearly says that God moved David against Israel.
a. Most know that I do not believe that God regularly overrides
human will.
b. I do notice in the parallel passage, a slightly different
wording.
1Chron 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number
Israel.
c. Based on both passages, I believe that Satan did the moving and
God allowed it to happen.
2. Notice how this might work.
a. \\#1\\ makes is clear that Israel was worthy of judgment at the
beginning of the chapter.
b. Yet, God does not judge them at that time.
(1) This is in part due to mercy. God often allows grace for
sin to be repented of.
(2) This is also due to justice. While God is given mercy, He
is also giving the sinners enough rope to hang themselves.
c. It is my belief that God does not determine the direction the
people will go.
(1) I believe their spiritual condition does.
(2) However, there is little doubt which way a person will go
when he separates himself from the Word and fellowship with
God.
d. The end is that a bigger judgment comes.
(1) Mercy requires greater responsibility.
(2) Greater responsibility requires greater judgment.
3. The question is often raised, "Just what was so bad about what
David did?"
a. David appears to have done this numbering in pride.
(1) Simply put, there was no need to do it.
(2) It looks like David wanted the number just so that he could
boast over the size of his kingdom.
b. Added to that fact is the possibility that David may not have
done the count as the Law commanded.
(1) \\#Ex 30:12-16\\ commands that only men be counted and that
they must be at least 20 years old.
(2) It also commands an offering be given for every person
counted to take care of the Tabernacle of the Lord.
c. What all that David did wrong is not certain, but that he did
wrong is without question.
(1) \\#2Sam 24:3-4\\ Joab saw that it was wrong and tried to
stop David but could not.
(a) Joab may have failed but he never thought the command
was right.
(v) A parallel account of this story in \\#1Chr 21:1-30\\,
\\#1Chr 21:6\\ says that Joab did not finish the count
because the task was so "abominable to Joab."
(2) \\#2Sam 24:10\\ David will realize it is wrong.
(3) \\#2Sam 24:1\\ makes it clear that God was opening the door
for David to do something wrong to give Him more
justification to judge Israel.
II. I notice….
A. \\#2Sam 24:10\\ …that David was convicted over his sin even before
God brought it to his attention.
1. This is a good thing.
2. The sooner we recognize our sinfulness and deal with it, the better.
3. However, David still allowed this sinful condition to exist in
his life for at least 9 months and 20 days \\#8\\.
B. \\#2Sam 24:11-15\\ …that God sent judgment anyway. A couple of
thoughts:
1. To show mercy is God’s option.
a. God is such a merciful God that we sometimes forget, mercy is
not mandatory.
b. When we sin, justice is the mandatory element.
c. We must always remember, every unforgiven sin will be judged.
2. David repented, but Israel did not.
a. Remember, this started out not because David had sinned,
but because Israel had sinned.
b. David’s pride drew him into the judgment; but unless Israel
repented, they were going to be judged.
C. The judgment itself is somewhat unusual.
1. God gave David a choice of what judgment he would have.
a. Granted, none of the options were very attractive.
b. What judgment is?
c. The answer is NONE OF THEM.
2. David doesn’t pick one.
a. He only makes a request.
b. He requests that the Lord will not turn him over to his
enemies.
c. No doubt, David was still banking on God’s mercy. That is
something you don’t get from man.
d. So God picked door number three - 3 days of pestilence.
3. The word PESTILENCE basically means DESTROY.
a. We might as well call it DEATH.
b. Like in the days of Egypt, the death angel was walking around.
c. According to \\#2Sam 24:15\\, 70,000 men were killed and the
angel was on his way to destroy Jerusalem when God stopped him.
D. \\#2Sam 24:16\\ It looks like God did give more mercy.
1. \\#2Sam 24:17\\ It appears that David was asking for mercy upon
Israel.
a. It may be that sometime before the three days were up, God
stopped the death angel.
b. 70,000 had been slain in the countryside, but that number would
have gone up dramatically if the angel had come to Jerusalem.
c. From man’s perspective, it might appear that God is late.
(1) Life is tough and sometimes that is the way it seems.
(2) However, God is always in control and will bring His mercy
at the time that pleases Him.
2. The angel was on a hillside near Jerusalem.
a. \\#16\\ It was at the threshing place of Araunah.
b. Tradition tells us that is the place where Solomon would later
built the temple.
III. The place where judgment meets mercy became special to David.
A. The place where mercy meets judgment was a good place to worship.
1. \\#2Sam 24:18\\ God sent David there to offer sacrifices.
2. Offering a sacrifice was the Old Testament way of worship.
3. Our salvation is a good example of a place where mercy and judgment
meet!
a. My, how we worshipped when mercy meet judgment that day!
b. So we should worship everyday as we revisit that glorious place.
B. The place where mercy meets judgment was a good place to build an altar.
1. David not only worships there. He buys the place from Araunah and
builds an altar.
2. An altar built on private land would likely be kept to revisit again
and again.
3. It would become a permanent place to worship the Lord. This appears
to be David’s intention.
1Chron 21:28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in
the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness,
and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place
at Gibeon.
30 But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid
because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
4. The tabernacle was too far away and David needed a closer place to
go and worship—a place he could go everyday.
5. David would build the temple on this spot.
6. So you and I need a permanent place, a place close, that we may go
to worship and be stirred.
The place where mercy and judgment should remain forever a special place to us.
Pain may produce it that place but mercy will make it tender. Have you built an
altar on the place where mercy met your judgment?
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
