Video

2nd Samuel Chapter Twenty-Four

1. God’s anger is indicated as the “cause” for the events of this chapter (2nd Sam. 24:1).
   1. The specific provocation is not indicated, but Israel was obviously living in a manner inconsistent with the Lord’s holiness.
   2. The Lord’s judgment upon a wicked nation sometimes takes the form of a wicked ruler (Dan. 4:17), or sometimes takes the form of a bad decision by a good ruler (2nd Sam. 24:1; 2nd Kgs. 18:3-6,cp.20:12-15; 2nd Kgs. 23:25,cp.v.29).
   3. God allowed for Satanic influence to motivate David’s activity (1st Chr. 21:1).
2. David desired to take a census of Israel as an evaluation of his military might, and even wicked Joab knew it was a bad idea (2nd Sam. 24:2-9).
3. David immediately recognized his involvement in sinful activity, and confessed his sin immediately (2nd Sam. 24:10).
4. God’s judgment upon Israel is tempered by the Godly king that He established to guide Israel through their Divine discipline (2nd Sam. 24:11-14).
5. God’s judgment upon Israel serves a variety of purposes.
   1. Corrective discipline (2nd Sam. 24:15).
   2. Instructive direction (2nd Sam. 24:16-25; 2nd Chr. 3:1-2).

1st Chronicles Chapter Twenty-One

1. Chapter 21 details David’s sin at the end of his life in numbering Israel (1st Chr. 21:1-30; 2nd Sam. 24:1-25).
2. Satan gives personal attention to Godly national leaders (1st Chr. 21:1; Job 1:3,9-11).
   1. As the Adversary (1st Pet. 5:8) Satan “stood up against” Israel.  He implemented a hostile plan and program.
   2. As the Tempter (Matt. 4:3) Satan “moved” David to number Israel.  He implanted a temptation or desire.
      1. Temptations are not sin (Heb. 4:15).
      2. Believers must exercise their volition to reject or submit to the temptation (Jas. 1:13-15).
   3. Satan “puts into the heart” his purposes (Jn. 13:2).
   4. Satan “fills the heart” with his temptations (Acts 5:3).
   5. Such thought implantation makes it vital that believers take every thought captive (2nd Cor. 10:5).
3. David repented & confessed, and was given three options for Divine discipline (1st Chr. 21:7-12).
4. David didn’t choose any option.  He simply left himself in the mercy of God (v.13).
5. The LORD’s Divine discipline on Israel was death through pestilence by the sword of the LORD (1st Chr. 21:14-17).
6. David purchases the threshing floor of Ornan, and builds an altar there to stop the plague of God upon Israel (1st Chr. 21:18-22).  This very place had been where Abraham offered Isaac, and will later be the location for Solomon’s temple (2nd Chr. 3:1).

1st Chronicles Chapter Twenty-Two

1. David obtained the funding for Solomon’s temple (1st Chr. 18:7-8,11), hired the contractors and gathered the building supplies (1st Chr. 22:1-5,14-16).
   1. 100,000 talents of gold = 7,500,000 pounds of gold.  109,374,750 troy oz. @ $314.00 per oz. (2002) = $34.3 billion. @$1950.00 per oz. (2022) = $213.3 billion.
   2. 1,000,000 talents of silver = 75,000,000 pounds of silver.  1,093,747,500 troy oz. @ $4.66 per oz. (2002) = $5.1 billion. @ $25.00 per oz. (2022) = $27.4 billion.
      
      “It would be pointless to try to express the value of such an amount of silver and gold in terms relevant to today.” Roddy Braun, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 14.
      
2. David urged his son to fulfill the LORD’s purpose for his life as the King of Peace (1st Chr. 22:6-13).
3. David urged the Tribal elders of Israel to support their young king in his building project for the LORD (1st Chr. 22:17-19).