2 Samuel 24

The Cost of Pride & the Mercy of God

1 The Lord was angry at Israel again. He allowed David to get provoked and tempted to take a census of the people.

2 David told Joab and his generals, “Go count everybody in Israel and Judah. I want to know how deep my army is.”

3 Joab said, “Man, may God give you a hundred times more soldiers, but why you must count them, That is not the move, king.”

4 But the king pushed it. So Joab and the commanders went out to do the count.

The Census Rolls Out

5 They started in Aroer and went through Gad, then to Jazer.

6 They hit Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, then down to Dan and around to Sidon.

7 Then they went to Tyre’s fortresses and all the Hivites and Canaanites, finally ending in Beersheba.

8 After nine months and twenty days, they came back to Jerusalem.

9 Joab gave the report: 800,000 warriors in Israel, and 500,000 in Judah, all sword-ready.

David’s Heart Gets Hit

10 Right after the count, David’s heart hit him hard. He said, “Lord, I messed up bad. Please forgive me, I acted foolish.”

God Sends a Word

11 The next morning, the Lord gave a word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.

12 God said, “Go tell David he has got three options. I am giving him the choice.”

13 Gad came and said, “Here is your choices: Three years of famine, Three months of running from your enemies, Three days of plague from the Lord. Pick one.”

14 David said, “I am in a tight spot. But I would rather fall into God’s hands than man’s, He has got mercy.”

The Plague Hits

15 So the Lord sent a plague. Seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba.

16 When the angel stretched his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord stopped him. “Enough, pull back.” The angel was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 David saw the angel and said, “I am the one who sinned, not these people. Let Your hand hit me and my fam, not them.”

The Altar of Mercy

18 That day Gad told David, “Go build an altar to the Lord on Araunah’s threshing floor.”

19 David did not hesitate. He went as God said.

20 Araunah saw the king coming. He bowed low, face to the ground.

21 He said, “Why are you here, my king?” David said, “I need to buy this place to build an altar. We must stop this plague.”

22 Araunah said, “You can have it. Take the oxen too, use them for the offering. Use the wood from the yokes and sleds for fire.”

23 He added, “Everything is yours, King. May the Lord accept it.”

24 But the king said, “Nah, I am paying full price. I will not give God a sacrifice that cost me nothing.” So David paid fifty shekels of silver for the floor and oxen.

25 He built an altar, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The Lord answered with fire, and the plague was stopped.