- Chapters: - [[2 Samuel 24]] # House of Sacrifice This section is about a war between [[God]] and man -- whether or not we can reconcile with being [[God]]'s enemies Verse 1: "the anger of the Lord burned against [[Israel]]" A lot of people want [[God]] to be the judge of the world in an impartial manner. But the [[Bible]] repeatedly emphasizes His emotions We've seen in [[1 Samuel]] and [[2 Samuel]] that [[David]]'s period has been an interlude in man's war against [[God]]. Is this a temporary ceasefire or something more permanent? [[2 Samuel 7]] seems to imply the latter, but [[2 Samuel 11]] says that "the sword will never be taken away from his house" Last week in [[2025-05-04 All Souls 1130am -- Everlasting People]] in the two songs reveal that [[David]] is not [[The King]] that will bring everlasting peace. ## Sin is dangerous Most of us struggle to believe this and naturally minimize the things we do ourselves [[Jesus]] says if you sin you're a slave to sin In the [[Old Testament]], they lived under a different [[Convenant]] -- there's a direct link between people's sins and the state of their lands. That is no longer the case today, so can't use [[Old Testament]] passages to blame current world events on people (e.g. covid) But sin is still dangerous [[1 Chronicles 21]] -- explicitly says that [[Satan]] invited [[David]] to take the census. So [[God]] did not exactly tell [[David]] to do something evil -- we are always responsible for the wrong things we are doing. There is an active enemy [[Satan]], but there is also always a sovereign [[God]] who can use both the good and bad we do to achieve His purposes In this chapter, the sin does seem very minor -- just taking a census. Why is this wrong? We're not told for certain here, but in the songs from [[2025-05-04 All Souls 1130am -- Everlasting People]] it's probably a failure in humility or a failure in trust. He's desperately keen to know how many soldiers he has, despite [[God's promises]]. May also be a failure to fear the Lord We've previously seen rules on how to do a census that [[David]] does not follow So as of verse 9 -- the people have sinned, and the king has sinned. And sin is dangerous. In the modern day it may be hard for us to understand how dangerous sin can be, but the plague in this chapter is a clear reminder. In the modern day we don't get too horrified about death in general. Imagine if we could wipe everyone's memory of the fact that human beings can die is wiped -- many news reports would spring! Yet right now, 11k deaths per week around here. Death is the real plague from [[Genesis]] that plagues us to this day Verse 10 here is the turning point -- [[David]] suddenly wakes up. ## [[God]] is merciful; or, Humility saves Verse 13 -- His mercy is great What should you and I do when we realize we have sinned? Throw ourselves humbly on the mercy of [[God]], much like [[David]] [[David]] is the prototype for [[Jesus]], wearing two crowns, and is the path for redemption for his people here. But he is also a normal human being, and it is with his humble acceptance of sin that the author chooses to end [[2 Samuel]] Verse 10 -- humility has a conscience. [[David]] doesn't need a prophet this time, and has a conscience. It's a very valuable tool for everyday life, yet most of us spend a lot of time blunting it. In verse 12-13, [[David]] was given a strange choice. In verse 15 the plague choice happens, but note actually that in verse 14 he refuses the choice entirely (besides an aversion to choice 2). So -- humility chooses [[God]]! Verse 17, [[David]] makes an important offer -- kill me instead of the sheep. Verse 24 -- humility chooses cost. ## Lines of application 1. All of us know what it is to sin, and all of us know what it is to be sinned against. There's no easy answer for what to do next, but this chapter provides a heart for what to do: - Humility has a conscience - Humility confesses sin - Humility chooses sacrifices - Humility has a cost - Humility chooses [[God]] 2. Trust [[David]]'s greater son -- trust [[Jesus]]. Here, the links to the death of [[Jesus]] are unmistakable. [[Jesus]]'s death is enough to pay for our sins