133Dat e of My Bi bl e St u dy: _________

DisciplinedThe consequences of sin should lead to repentance.

Session 13

2 SAMUEL 24:10-25MEMORY VERSE: 2 SAMUEL 24:24

READ 2 Samuel 24:1-25, First Thoughts (p . 134), and Understand the Context (pp . 134–135) . Be

ready to explain the events leading to David’s decision to take the census .

STUDY 2 Samuel 24:10-25, using Explore the Text (pp . 135–139) . Note the key doctrine of the study

(p . 134): The Purpose of God’s Grace: It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and

is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable .

PLAN the group time using ideas under Lead Group Bible Study (pp . 140–141) and More Ideas

(p . 142), choosing those which will work best for your group . Review the Bible passages under

Bible Skill in the PSG (p . 122), and be prepared to present the information as appropriate during

the session .

GROW from expert insights on weekly studies through the Ministry Grid (MinistryGrid .com/Web/

ExploretheBible) .

GATHER the following items: Personal Study Guides; Construction paper and markers; and

Wrapping paper . Prepare to display: PACK ITEM 2 (Outline of 2 Samuel) . Make copies of:

PACK ITEM 11 (Handout: Key Leaders in David’s Kingdom) . For More Ideas (p . 142):

A video of children misbehaving; and Enlist volunteers for acting out the scene between David

and Araunah .

© 2018 LifeWay

E x pl or e t h e Bi bl e | L e a der Gu i de134

FIRST THOUGHTSWhile sometimes painful, consequences motivate us to change behavior. People stop smoking before getting sick because they see someone else suffer with cancer. People change their diet before developing heart disease because they have a friend or a family member with heart disease. Consequences serve as a corrective for human behavior.

(In PSG, p. 118) What consequence have you experienced or seen that prompted a change in your behavior?

God’s discipline of His people often takes the form of letting us suffer the consequences of choices made. His purpose is to bring about a repentance of heart. At times, we suffer because of our bad choices, at other times others suffer because of our choices. David experienced contrition over his disobedience. He also saw his people suffer because of what he had done. His request that he, rather than his people, might be punished is a revealing aspect of David’s heart.

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT2 SAMUEL 24:1-25

Readers will wonder why the taking of a census in 2 Samuel 24 is regarded as a sin (v. 10). The legislation concerning the census appears at Exodus 30:11-16. Some interpreters have taken the census to be either a military conscription or a means of providing financial support for the sanctuary. Neither is correct. Nothing in Exodus 30 or 2 Samuel 24 implies that the census had a strictly military purpose, although of course the data from a census could be used for military planning and conscription. But a census is a means of gaining information about a citizen body and is a tool of administration and control. In other words, the military application is one but not the only use for a census.

The census was not intended to provide for the sanctuary maintenance; that was done with tithes, sacrifices, and gifts. Exodus 30:13-14 says that every adult male in the nation was to pay half a shekel (about five grams) of silver into the sanctuary coffers. This was a poll tax in that it was the same for every family regardless of their financial situation. This was a heavy burden; by comparison, Jeremiah bought a field for seventeen shekels (Jer. 32:9). The penalty for the accidental death of another man’s slave was thirty shekels (Ex. 21:32). A tax of a half-shekel for every adult male was not pocket change by any means. For the bulk of the peasant population, it would be a significant expense.

KEY DOCTRINE

The Purpose of God’s GraceIt is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.

BIBLE SKILL

Compare passages.

Compare David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 24:17 to Moses’ prayer of intercession in Exodus 32:11-14. How are they similar or different? How do the results of each prayer compare? What can we learn about prayer through this comparison?

© 2018 LifeWay

135Se ssion 13 : Disc ip l ined

According to Exodus 30:12,16, the census money was used to redeem the people. Unless that were done, there would be a plague. Exodus 30 prescribes no penalty for not conducting a census. It contains no command that a census ever be conducted; the half-shekel tax was only applied if they did conduct a census. As such, the tax and the implied warning of a plague from God was a strong disincentive for ever taking a census. The census was permitted but not commanded, and it was in fact discouraged. The laws of Exodus 30 turn it into a risky and unpopular procedure.

A census can be valuable for a state that wants to manage or reorganize its people. This is why Exodus so strongly discourages it: A centralized, powerful state was never the biblical ideal (1 Sam. 8:4-18). This also explains why the census of Numbers 1–4 was not a problem (and apparently, no tax was collected from the people). At that time, Israel was simply the people of Yahweh, and they had no true government. Moses was God’s intermediary, taking His commands and delivering them to the people. That is, Yahweh was their king. It was not problematic for the people to be organized around the rule of Yahweh, and thus the census was not a problem. In 2 Samuel 24, David was the king and the people were being organized around a human administration. This demanded that a census be conducted in accordance with the rules of Exodus 30. Apparently, no half-shekel tax was collected (either David’s officers never tried to enforce this law, or if they did, there was great popular resistance and many people simply could not pay). Thus, a plague struck Israel.

What ultimately became of David’s census? Second Chronicles 2:17 tells us that Solomon used and updated David’s census information prior to organizing the nation into groups for forced labor. First Kings 4:7-19 describes Solomon’s twelve administrative districts. These districts to some degree erased the old tribal boundaries. This was the very thing that Exodus 30 meant to discourage—the diminution of the significance of the tribes and the enhancement of a central administration. The tribes were an ancient and hallowed part of Israel’s identity, and Solomon’s reorganization did much damage to it. The forced labor to which Israel was subjected in effect returned them to what they were in Egypt: slaves. The wisdom of Exodus 30, that a census was a thing to be avoided, was vindicated.

EXPLORE THE TEXTCONFESSION (2 SAM . 24:10)

The census of 2 Samuel 24 almost certainly did not take place at the end of David’s life. In the account, both David and Joab are clearly younger and personally managing affairs. The narrative is placed here because it leads into the account of Solomon’s reign and of his greatest achievement, the building of the temple on the property David purchased (2 Sam. 24:18-24).

David abruptly commanded Joab to conduct a census (v. 1). It may appear that it was purely a military matter since Joab was the commander of

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

For additional context, read “Ancient Threshing Floors,” available digitally in the Summer 2018 Biblical Illustrator for Explore the Bible at LifeWay.com/BiblicalIllustrator.

2 SAMUEL 24:10

10 David’s conscience troubled him after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away your servant’s guilt.”

© 2018 LifeWay

E x pl or e t h e Bi bl e | L e a der Gu i de136

his army (v. 2). But Israel’s government at this time was little more than the king and his army; there was no civil service. If David wanted to get anything done, he had to use the army. Also, the command translated as “register the troops” (v. 2) is somewhat misleading. Although the Hebrew word translated as “troops” can be interpreted in that way, its more basic meaning is “people.” As described above, the census had a military application but could be and was used for other purposes, such as the creation of a system of forced labor.

Joab tactfully rebuked David and on this occasion was wiser than his king. He loyally spoke of how he would love to see Israel expand, but urged the king not to perform a census (v. 3). Joab did not cite Exodus 30, but probably the idea that a census was a thing to avoid had become part of Israelite culture, so that they effectively regarded a census as a sin. David doubled down, however, and insisted that Joab follow his orders. He obeyed, and the census was carried out.

They started at Aroer, located east of the Dead Sea by the little river called the Arnon. They then proceeded north to the tribal territory of Gad and its city of Jazer (located east of the Jordan). These towns probably represent the external borders of Israelite territory, the implication being that they surveyed all Israelite settlements within those limits. They continued north, east of and then north of the Sea of Galilee, and then moved west to the edge of Phoenician territory, the land around Tyre and Sidon. They then headed south through the heart of Israelite territory, on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea. They proceeded all the way to the southern border of Israel in the Negev, represented by Beer-sheba (vv. 5-7).

The process took nine months and twenty days, and at the end of that time Joab reported that there were eight hundred thousand men from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah (v. 9). In Israel, a citizen was defined as a man over age twenty and thus eligible for military service. The overwhelming majority of these men, however, never had and never would serve in Israel’s standing army.

Second Samuel, however, gives us only the briefest summary of the data they collected, as it gives only a grand total. Considering how much more data we see in the other examples of population information (such as the census in Num. 1–4 and the tribal boundaries in Josh. 15–17), it is probable that the actual census data contained much more detailed information on the tribal populations, the populations of the towns, and so forth.

A distinction is made between Judah and the rest of Israel. It appears that everyone, including the royal administration, treated them almost as if they were two different countries. This attitude helps to explain why the northern tribes felt marginalized and why Israel would in fact soon split into two separate nations.

VERSE 10

In verse 10, David abruptly expressed remorse over what he had done. The text does not tell us what prompted this, since he was not confronted by the

2 SAMUEL 24:11-15

11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’” 13 So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.” 14 David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.” 15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men died.

© 2018 LifeWay

137Se ssion 13 : Disc ip l ined

prophet Gad until the next day (v. 11). It may be that after he received the census data he realized how much potential for governmental abuse this information contained. He then understood that he had done something that might forever change Israel for the worse. Considering Joab’s reaction, he probably knew that other members of the court considered his actions to be wrong, and he may have been seeing expressions on their faces and hearing comments that made him feel guilty and uncertain.

We should be clear that David’s sin was the census itself. Sometimes, interpreters try to explain the text by saying conducting the census was of itself not morally wrong, but that it was a sin for David because he was motivated by pride. This is not what the Bible says. It never claims that David acted out of pride or that this was what caused offense. When David confessed, he said, I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. He did not say he had been prideful but that the deed itself was wrong.

As soon as David realized how wrong his actions had been, he declared, Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away your servant’s guilt. Sometimes we realize the error of our ways only very late in the game, after much damage has been done. Even so, the right thing to do is to immediately seek forgiveness.

In a family setting, we sometimes realize only very late that we have done things that harmed other family members. Even after the damage has been done, how might it help to turn to God and to the other persons involved and confess it?

CONSEQUENCES (2 SAM . 24:11-15)

VERSES 11-13

Gad was David’s seer (an older term for a prophet; see 1 Sam. 9:9). Gad had been with David for a long time, ever since he was on the run from Saul (1 Sam. 22:5). Since kings used prophets to inquire of the Lord, Gad was attached to David’s court in an official capacity. This could be a dangerous practice, since prophets sometimes gave the king the message that he wanted to hear (see 1 Kings 22). Gad, however, was not such a one. He came to David with some very bad news.

In an unusual twist, God gave David the choice of how he would be punished: three years of famine, three months of military defeat, or three days of plague. Notably, none of the possible punishments strike David personally. They all strike the nation at large. This is because the sin was a national sin and not a personal sin, although David as king was responsible for the fact that Israel committed this sin. By contrast, David’s sins involving Bathsheba and Uriah were personal, and his punishment was also personal: His son died (2 Sam. 12:14-18). This may also explain why David was given a choice in what the punishment for the census should be:

2 SAMUEL 24:16-17

16 Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family.”

© 2018 LifeWay

E x pl or e t h e Bi bl e | L e a der Gu i de138

As king, he had brought this upon Israel, and he would decide what form it would take.

VERSES 14-15

From what we see in verse 14, David did not choose any one of the three, but gave the choice back to God: I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands. This at least suggests he did not want the second choice—three months of military defeat—because that would have made humans the agents of the punishment. Nevertheless, his answer reflects strong faith in the most fundamental tenet of the Israelite faith, the creed that was given to Moses: “The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7a).

The punishment was severe; seventy thousand men died. As the census numbered only adult men and not women and children, so also the number of fatalities given here is only the total for adult men. This does not mean that only adult men died; it means that only their count is given. It is the same as at the feeding of the four thousand and the five thousand, where only the men were counted but the total number of persons was much larger (Matt. 14:21; 15:38). In the census, the total number of men was one million three hundred thousand (v. 9), and of these seventy thousand died. Assuming that the same proportion applied to the fatalities of women and children, this means that over 5 percent of the population died in three days. This was a truly catastrophic pandemic. The plague extended from Dan to Beer-sheba, that is, from the extreme north to the extreme south of Israel. Thus, just as the census had been thorough, so had the plague.

As we read this, it may seem that the punishment was out of proportion to the sin. But is it not the case that one sin—one seemingly small decision—can carry with it catastrophic results? Can you think of examples of this?

COMPASSION (2 SAM . 24:16-17)

VERSES 16-17

The Bible attributes the plague to the angel of the Lord. An act of God can involve both natural and supernatural causes working together. We obviously have no idea what the disease was, since the Bible tells us nothing about the symptoms. It did, however, strike and kill very fast. We can compare it to the great 1918 flu pandemic (which may have killed as much as five percent of the world’s population). In that outbreak, people often died within an hour of their first symptoms. At times, fatalities were so numerous that steam shovels were used to bury the dead.

2 SAMUEL 24:18-21

18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant? ” David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”

© 2018 LifeWay

139Se ssion 13 : Disc ip l ined

The angel was about to destroy the city of Jerusalem. We can presume that many had already died there since Jerusalem was well inside the territory where the plague struck, “from Dan to Beer-sheba” (v. 15). However, it may be that Jerusalem was about to suffer a much higher casualty rate, possibly because the people there were more densely packed together. God relented, however, and told the angel to withdraw. This happened when the angel was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. This detail suggests that someone saw the angel in a prophetic vision at this location. Verse 18 implies that it was Gad who saw the vision and heard God’s command that the angel desist.

On the other hand, David also had a vision: He saw the angel striking the people, and he responded with a beautiful model of intercession: “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family.” Since David prayed while the angel was still killing the people, his prayer must have been prior to God’s decision to stop the plague.

David’s willingness to offer up himself and his family was instrumental in bringing the plague to an end. How does this foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus? In what ways was Jesus’ sacrifice greater?

CONTRITION (2 SAM . 24:18-25)

VERSES 18-25

Araunah was a Jebusite, a member of the ethnic group that had lived in Jerusalem before David conquered it. This implies that David made no attempt to eradicate the Jebusites after he took the city, and that many continued to live in the area and work their land. The command to annihilate the inhabitants of Canaan only applied to Joshua’s generation; it was not a permanent law.

Araunah owned the threshing floor where the angel had been standing in the prophetic vision at the time God ended the plague, and Gad told David that he had to build an altar there. Araunah was willing to give it to David when he learned why the king wanted it, but David insisted on paying him for it. This was the very location where Solomon would later build the temple (see 2 Chron. 3:1, where Araunah is referred to as Ornan). A threshing floor was typically on top of a hill. In this case, this was the hill later known as the Temple Mount. A comparison of Genesis 22:2 to 2 Chronicles 3:1 indicates that it was also the spot where Abraham carried out the near sacrifice of Isaac.

Is it fitting that we make offerings that, in David’s words, cost us nothing? What kind of offerings should we give to God in gratitude for what He did at the cross?

2 SAMUEL 24:22-25

22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel ended.

© 2018 LifeWay

E x pl or e t h e Bi bl e | L e a der Gu i de140

LEAD GROUP BIBLE STUDY

FOCUS ATTENTION (FIRST THOUGHTS)

LIST: In advance, prepare a list of things people would like to change about themselves, such as weight, drug use, impatience, and gossiping. Write one item each on slips of paper. As people arrive, give each person one slip and ask him or her to suggest what would motivate a person with that issue to change his or her behavior. After most have arrived, call for responses.

DISCUSS: Lead the group to discuss possible consequences of the behaviors mentioned. Ask: Why do we often ignore consequences as we cling to sinful and/or unhealthy behaviors? How can God use the consequences to discipline us? Direct attention to the question in the PSG (p. 118): What consequence have you experienced or seen that prompted a change in your behavior? Call for responses.

TRANSITION: In today’s session, David called for a census against God’s express orders, bringing severe consequences on him and his people.

MINI-LECTURE: Present a mini-lecture on the law regarding taking a census in Exodus 30:11-16. Also, review the events of 2 Samuel 24:1-9 using Understand the Context (PSG, p. 119), noting how Joab cautioned David.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

READ: Direct someone to read aloud 2 Samuel 24:10, as the group listens for clues to what had taken place with David.

DISCOVER: Lead the group to identify what happened to David. As they respond, write on the board or a large sheet of paper: “Conscience Leads to Confession.” Ask: What did David’s actions indicate about his heart? What does a slowness to confess sin indicate about a person? Call for responses.

DISCUSS: What excuses do we use to justify our sins and avoid confession? (moment of weakness, I’m only human, they deserved what I did, etc.) List responses on the board or a large sheet of paper. Ask: Why aren’t these valid excuses? What will likely happen if we continue to postpone a confession?

READ: Read aloud 2 Samuel 4:11-15, looking for the three choices given to David.

DISCOVER: As a group, identify the three choices David had. Then lead them to list and discuss the pros and cons of each option. Encourage them to use the commentary in the PSG (pp. 120–122) for additional insights. Call for responses.

DISCUSS: Direct attention to the questions in the PSG (p. 121): Why do you think the Lord gave David the choice over which consequence he and the nation would have to endure? What were the pros and cons of each choice?

© 2018 LifeWay

141Se ssion 13 : Disc ip l ined

LEAD: List sins on the board such as sexual immorality, alcoholism, dishonesty, and so forth. Ask: What are the consequences of these sins on the individual, the community, the nation, the world? In what ways can we show compassion for those who struggle with such sins?

READ: Direct a volunteer to read aloud 2 Samuel 24:16-17, while the group listens for the attributes of God expressed in these verses.

DISCOVER: Create two groups. Instruct one group to use their PSG (p. 122) commentary to discover the importance of the threshing floor of Araunah. The other group is to use the PSG (p. 123) to discover how David showed qualities of a good king. Call for responses.

DISCUSS: How is experiencing compassion humbling? Direct attention to the questions in the PSG (p. 123): How do God’s holiness and compassion work together in this passage? What are some ways people respond to God’s compassion?

READ: Direct the group to read silently 2 Samuel 24:18-25.

MINI-LECTURE: Direct attention to the title of this section in the PSG (Contrition). Present a mini-lecture on the word contrition. Explain that contrition comes from an old French word meaning “to grind down,” but that today it means “sincere remorse.” Ask: How does the original meaning relate to today’s meaning? (When we feel remorse, we feel like the lowest of the low or that we have been “ground down.”)

DISCOVER: Ask: How did David show contrition in these verses? How did Gad and Araunah contribute to David’s contrition? Use Pack Item 11 (Handout: Key Leaders in David’s Kingdom) to give background on Gad’s relationship with David.

DISCUSS: Why didn’t David take Araunah’s offer of free land and sacrificial animals? Re-read 2 Samuel 24:25. Direct attention to the questions in the PSG on page 125. Ask: How did your response to these questions change from when you first read them this past week to hearing them read aloud today?

SUMMARIZE AND CHALLENGE (IN MY CONTEXT)

REVIEW: Direct attention to the bulleted items in the PSG (p. 126) under In My Context. Review the statements and encourage the group to discuss how these relate to our lives today. Also, direct attention to Pack Item 2 (Outline of 2 Samuel) and quickly review the events in the study of 2 Samuel.

RESPOND: Direct attention to the first two sets of questions under In My Context in the PSG (p. 126). Encourage the group to reflect on these during their devotional times. Direct attention to the third set of questions about encouraging one another: Review 2 Samuel 24:24. Discuss with your Bible study group ways you can encourage one another to give your best to God. Call for answers. List them on the board.

MEMORIZE: Read aloud the Memory Verse (2 Samuel 24:24). Challenge adults to memorize this verse as a reminder to give their best to God.

PRAY: Close in prayer for the group to confess their sins, accept the consequences, and move forward with God’s compassion.

© 2018 LifeWay

142 E x pl or e t h e Bi bl e | L e a der Gu i de

PRACTICE• Examine your life for unconfessed sins. Confess, seeking wisdom for dealing with the

consequences.

• Provide encouragement for those struggling with sin’s consequences.

• Pray for your group to extend compassion to those dealing with sin and its consequences.

MORE IDEASFOCUS ATTENTION (FIRST THOUGHTS)

To replace the idea under Focus Attention, prepare to show a video taken from the Internet of misbehaving children. Play it as the group arrives. Listen to their comments about the children’s behaviors. (Possibilities: Needs a timeout, I’d ground him for a month, etc.) Say: As discipline is important in a child’s life, it’s also important in the lives of God’s children.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

• To supplement the discussion of 2 Samuel 24:10, distribute paper and pens. Direct the group to write a diary entry for David, showing how his guilty conscience manifested itself. Refer to Psalms 103:8-18; 119:156 for ideas. Call for responses.

• For further study of 2 Samuel 24:16-17, arrange the group into pairs, asking them to explore the importance of the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and then to answer the question: Why do you think God ended the plague there? Call for responses.

• To enhance the discussion of 2 Samuel 24:18-25, enlist two volunteers to act out the scene between David and Araunah. Direct the group to formulate questions for the men. Allow time to ask their questions of David and Araunah.

SUMMARIZE AND CHALLENGE (IN MY CONTEXT)

Direct attention to the Summary Statement in the PSG (p. 118): The consequences of sin should lead to repentance. Ask: How was this evidenced in today’s study? How have your thoughts on confession changed as a result of this session?

SUGGESTED MUSIC IDEA

Lead the group to sing “I Surrender All,” by Judson W. Van DeVenter, noting that we all suffer from sin’s consequences and yet we all can find grace through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

© 2018 LifeWay