2 Samuel 24:10-17 Falling on God’s Grace

2 Samuel 24:10–17 (ESV)

10 But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

What does it look like to fall on God’s grace? What does it mean to just go before God and say I have sinned against you and I am sorry? What does that even look like? Often times when we have sinned against God we are afraid because there should be some punishment when wrong is done. We are conditioned that way as children that if we do wrong we will be punished. Now as adults hesitate to go to God and say “I have sinned and I am sorry.” I believe that most times we don’t go to God and say we are sorry because we know deep down in our heart that this would be a lie, after all we were taught not to lie. We are not sorry…we meant to do what we did and we will do it again if the situation presents itself. When I go out and get falling down drunk weekend after weekend or night after night I don’t go to God and say I am sorry because I don’t want to change my behavior. To truly repent I have to mean it, and since I know that I don’t mean what I am about to say, I dodge God. I assure you there is no punishment coming from God. Your punishment and mine for sin was paid for on that cross. When we live for God and we begin to stray we come under conviction and then we being to fear God’s judgement why becuase we would be mad at us so God must be mad to.

Think about when you were a kid and something got broke. The infamous nobody or somebody did it right. Somebody and Nobody were two people that ran loose through our house even though we only had two boys…. and they were the ones that broke stuff and tore up stuff and did all the things that we were not allowed to do….meaning me and the boys. We absolutely did not want to get caught up in the wrath of the mom. No sir that was not good at all. When we were told if you tell the truth you will feel better the part where it would be an hour later that you could sit down comfortable was left out….thats right me included (lol I’m joking but y’all understand). You would rather hug a cactus than have to live through the interrogation but after it was all over you were relaxed…at least after an hour or so when you could sit down right……maybe on a pillow or a block of ice…….

In the same way….you will not find the peace that you seek until you come to God and repent. Most times we suffer in this life because there is such a thing as cause and effect. When we do this…that will happen. Just like when we were kids…..cause and effect…If you get drunk and fall down and get hurt you are not being punished you are reaping what you have sown. If you go out and kill someone and get sent to prison…you are not being punished you are reaping what you have sown. If you break a lamp and get your hind end heated up with a belt you are reaping what you have sown. The Bible tells us this. When we do wrong there is a consequence for our actions but when that happens we blame God. It’s His fault after all if He really loved me He would not punish me. News flash folks that ain’t God punishing us it is God letting us choose our path and then deal with the consequences of our choices.

What about the folks who have spent their entire life in church Bro Steve and yet they are always sick and they ain’t rich and they don’t have what the sinners have.....my question would be what about Job? What about Jesus? What about the Apostles? How can I say I have faith when that faith is never tested. Would I know the sweetness of being close to my God if my life were not what it is? Who am I to question God’s choice for me?

David in this passage realized that he sinned. David did not blame God or anyone else. He said to himself “I messed up.” You know what he did.....he went to God. When he came under conviction for his sin he went to God. This is why David was called a man after God’s heart. You know the difference between religion and a relationship…I read this somewhere one time…religion says I messed up my dad is gonna kill me….relationship says I messed up I need to call my dad..When he messed up…and he messed up a lot…he went to God and fell on His grace. He accepted the correction that he knew was coming. Notice verse 11 “I have sinned greatly...” I have done wrong in a big way and I have no excuse…I ain’t even trying to make none. I just know that I messed up and now I am separated from you and it’s killing me inside........ I am your child Lord I am sorry. When you come under conviction you have to turn to God. You can’t run unless it is to God.

That is why we struggle so much, we want to avoid the consequences for what we have done. We broke the relationship but God has to be the one to fix it. We say things like…”If God loves me that much He will handle this mess of a life He gave me…If God wants a relationship with me He has to take me as I am…If God loves me that much He will understand I am just this way because He made me like this…” Folks God loves you and wants you to have a relationship with Him but that is a choice you have to make. When you mess up you have to fall into His arms and trust in His grace.

The longer you run the worse it gets. The more hurt you are the more you hurt those that you love. Hey listen to what I am about to say.....look at your neighbor and say listen to this its important......sometimes you can’t fix things on your own and you need help. There is no shame in saying God I need some help. I can’t do this by myself. I don’t want to be like this anymore help me… fix me. That’s totally acceptable and no shame in it. Most times however you don’t go to God because you know you ain’t done sinning. Your heart ain’t changed at all you have no desire to change you are gonna do it your way. By the way let me know how that works out for you. Here is one for free if you don’t fix what broke you….you will bleed on someone that did not cut you.

David went to God as soon as the conviction started. He did not wait. He went to God and presented himself before God and said I was wrong…please forgive me. Notice what David did not do….he did not start out by trying to shift the blame onto anyone else. He did not give an excuse nor did he try to make a deal. He only said he sinned and asked God for forgiveness.

The Bible says the next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad and offered David three choices. Notice the three choices David was given. God said choose one and I will inflict it on you. I believe this is a test. If you look at the choices David was given there were three, however, I believe there was only one that I would consider trusting God.

The first choice was three years of famine throughout the land. Now this one seems to be bad but think about it. If you are the king you and your family are gonna eat no matter how little food there is in the kingdom. Y’all are taken care of first. Now everyone else might suffer but you are insulated from this famine.

Next we have option two three months of fleeing from your enemies. Again this one seems bad but stop and think for a second….if you are the king do you think that your army is going to allow you or your family to be hurt or injured. Absolutely not if your the king you will be protected to the last man right.

Now we have the final option…option three is three days of severe plague throughout your land. Can David be insulated from this one….no indeed a plague don’t care who it hits. What about COVID. No one knew if they were gonna be the next on to get it. When it comes to sickness there is no favorites and the king can die just as easily as the stable boy. The court jester and the kings wife are on the same playing field when it comes to a plague.

Yet David chose a fourth option….one that isn’t even mentioned so to speak. He let God choose what was right and just. His words were “I’m in a desperate situation, but let us fall into the hands of the Lord for His mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” David says let us fall into the Lord’s hands not man’s hands. But then he says do not let me fall into human hands. David knows that God’s mercy is not like mans mercy. If he is in a famine he will have to rely on men that are not God’s people to provide for him and his kingdom. If he chooses running from his enemies they have no mercy and kill all that they come into contact with, however, God is merciful and will choose those who are most in need of correction to afflict. David knows he might be one who is chosen or it could even be his family, however, he leans into God and lets God decide what is right and just. He does not try to make a choice.

David knows that although there will be judgement…it will be God’s righteous judgement. He places himself and his family in the hands of God. There is no way he is protected and if he is to be judged God will do it.

This is what it looks like to fall on God’s grace. To say I have sinned and I am willing to suffer whatever judgement you see fit God. You are a righteous God and I am the one that has sinned therefore whatever you decide for me is right. I can do nothing but come and ask for your grace…your forgiveness….your mercy even in the midst of my wrong…God I trust you.

That very morning we see where the plague came and 70,000 died. This passage of Scripture tells us that it was from the very northern most part of the kingdom all the way to the southern border the entire nation was touched. The entire kingdom was affected.

When God stopped the plague…notice who stopped the plague…God did. He is the one that started it and He was the one that stopped it. God was the judge and decided what was righteous and right. His grace is shown in that it could have been three years of plague it could have been to the point there were only a few left. All that could have been was avoided simply by God’s mercy that David was trusting in.

I want you to see this in verse 17 David saw the angel and said to the Lord “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.” David once again owned his wrong doing. He was standing between God and the people who were in essence paying for David’s wrong. He said God they are innocent I am the guilty one punish me and my family if you must but not them.

When we own our sin and admit our wrong instead of playing the blame game yes we absolutely place ourselves in God’s hands but church let me ask you something….. when you came to the altar and confessed to being a sinner and admitted that you were such and asked God to forgive you….did you not do the same exact thing then. Why is it so hard for us to just admit we are wrong and fall on God’s grace and ask Him for His mercy.

Next week we are gonna see yet another reason David is a man after God’s own heart…it is a lesson that I think will tie this chapter all together for us….

Invitation