Scripture: 2 Samuel 24

SERMON SUMMARY

So, how do you end a book on the life of David, Israel’s greatest king and the king from whom King Jesus will come? God’s answer is to close the life of David with a foreshadowing of the gospel. 

SERMON KEY POINTS

In some ways, 2 Samuel 24 is a fairly straightforward story. David sins against God by taking a census. God judges David’s sin by sending a plague on Israel that kills 1000s of people. David repents and offers sacrifices for his sin, and God, in His mercy, stops the plague. Sin, judgment, repentance, mercy.

But as we read this story, there are some serious questions are raised here. For example, doesn’t this seem like a strange way to end a story on the life of Israel’s greatest-ever king? And why is God angry with Israel? What’s all this about God “causing” or “inciting” David to take a census, which was clearly a sin? Why did God use David’s senseless census sin to punish Israel? When we come to things like this in the Bible that are hard for us to understand, we need to remember that “the main things are the plain things.” Meaning, focus your attention on what God has made plain because those are the main things He wants you to know and to apply to your life. There’s a lot packed into this passage.

Questions aside, we do learn something about how God's testing of us, Satan's tempting us, and the sinful desires of our hearts all come to bear when we face cross-road decisions in our lives. We also gain insight into the mystery of how God’s sovereign purposes, our prayers, and our faithful obedience also work together to accomplish His good purposes in our lives and in our world. But there’s even more here as the chapter ends with David building an altar of sacrifice on the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite.

So, stay tuned as we unpack this strange ending to David’s story using the principle, “The main things are the plain things.” You might be surprised by what you find here.

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.