2 Samuel 24:15-25

The Gospel Anticipated in Samuel

Johannes Bugenhagen, contemporary of Martin Luther,

“Thus you have these two books, which tell how the kingdom of Israel began and how the true kingdom of David and his descendants was established for eternity in Jesus Christ our Lord”.

The gospel according to Samuel

[1] the consequences of sin

[2] the compassion of God

[3] the Cross anticipated

[1] the consequences of sin

sum of 10-14

24.15

As indicated last time, the Lord sent the pestilence due to the sin of Israel and David as the federal head of the people.

This fits in line with exactly the type of punishment outlined in Exodus 30:11-16. By way of reminder, when a census takes place, there must be a half shekel offering unto the Lord for atonement.

David and Israel would have been well aware of the necessity of atonement to avert the Lord’s justice. Surely they would have remembered the final plague of Egypt. Exodus 12:23“For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.”

No atonement, no salvation. The people were left to judgment at the hands of a holy God.

What was the reason?

David’s method and motive were not in accord with God’s Word.

Words used.

Appointed time (עֵ֣ת מוֹעֵ֑ד) - God’s eternal decree

Result for wickedness.

Stretch out (יִּשְׁלַח֩) - Divine judgment, Job 1:12“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”

Destroy (שַׁחֲתָ) - Divine judgment, Genesis 6:17“For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.” Also, Sodom and Gomorrah.

Calamity (הָ֣רָעָ֔ה) - Divine judgment

Pestilence (דֶּ֙בֶר֙) - Divine judgment

Death (יָּ֣מָת) - Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A fitting punishment for David.

The sin was numbering, now the Lord was taking a number which amounted to 5% of the total David has pledged.

It was a reminder as well that the Lord is true to His Word.

Nonetheless, there is an expression of mercy from the Lord. The Lord not only acted in accordance with His own word, showing forth his providence, and immutability, but also extended mercy toward the people by only three days of persecution as opposed to three months or three years.

The extent of the death toll is 70,000 men in total. Dan to Beersheba is often used in the OT to express the entirety of Israel’s nation.

If we have seen anything from David’s life, aside from those aspects that typify Jesus Christ, we have seen the far reaching effects of sin.

Use 1. Sin always has consequences attached to it.

Sin with Bathsheba and the death of his son.

Sin of not exercising justice against Amnon and Absalom, disobeying God’s Word in reality, which leads to the death of more sons.

Sin of pride in numbering, death of the sons of Israel

Use 2. Sin is only concerned with destruction.

First Adam destruction.

Second Adam destruction.

Yet we still see hope, mercy, steadfast love, and compassion from God.

[2] the compassion of God

1 Chronicles 21:15“And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

Angel of the Lord

There is debate surrounding the angel of the Lord and whether or not it is the preincarnate theophany of Christ, or merely a created angel. H. Bavinck, for example, states the angel of the Lord, “is not an independent symbol nor a created angel but a true personal revelation and appearance of God” (1:329) Joel Beeke likewise concludes, “it seems best to understand this divine angel of the Lord as a manifestation of the preincarnate Christ, sent by the Father to mediate salvation to his people (1:273).

However, here, as Bavinck also notes, the angel of the Lord is an ordinary angel, one sent by God to enact His justice upon the people.

“Relented”

Another challenge in this verse is what to do with the Hebrew word “nahkem” or, “relent.”

“from God’s side, all things are foreknown and immutably fixed; looked at from man’s side, all is perpetually changing as man changes. The rescue of Jerusalem as the result of David’s penitence and prayers, is thus to human view a change in the counsels and even in the feelings of him who changeth not”

Matthew Henry also notes that God “changed not his mind, but his way.”

We call this language, “anthropopathic.” It is our human way of perceiving of what happened.

We see this in Genesis 6:6 for example, “And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Our human understanding of the Lord only brings us to grasp from words like repent, or relent.

In fact, it is an expression of divine mercy. The Lord had all of the rights to continue to wipe out and judge sinful men for their conduct, yet in His predetermined time and exercise of His own sovereign will, He draws back His powerful hand from continuing the judgment.

This fits well within the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21:16“And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.”

We see repentance from David and the other elders of Israel as they are watching this act unfold. Surely they remembered that God is merciful even in his wrath.

We see this expressed in 1 John 1:9“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Philipps sees this expressed in two ways:

On God’s side, there is his gracious disposition to show mercy to sinners who humble themselves and repent: “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’ ” (2 Sam. 24:16). On man’s side, there is a hope of mercy for those who seek God’s grace: “David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces” (1 Chron. 21:16). (Richard D. Phillips, 449).

24.17

In Christlike anticipation, David sees clearly the judgment upon the people and asks for the Lord’s hand to strike him instead.

Personal responsibility.

Sinned (חָטָ֙אתִי֙) - offense against God (David’s admittance)

Wickedly (הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי) - to go astray.

David acts like Christ as mediator between him and the people. We see this exercised through Christ toward us, 1 Timothy 2:5–6“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Yet at the same time, there is quite a distinction made between Christ and David.

Here, David is the one who sinned. In fact, justice and judgment rightly fell upon him.

With Christ, he did not suffer nor endure the wrath of God for the sins that He had committed but rather, on behalf of the sins that others committed. And thus it is quite fitting that the angel of the Lord in exercising God’s wrath is striking the people because we see this same punishment carried over to the innocent Suffering Servant.

Striking (הַמַּכֶּ֣ה) - to punish with, smite. Isaiah 53:4–5“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Use 1. Remember your status before God.

Sinners, dead, etc. This wrath of God is gumdrops and unicorns compared to eternal wrath.

Use 2. Remember the renewed mercies of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22–23“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

This is a comfort to Christians. Fresh start each day, no matter how awful you failed the night before.

Use 3. Remember the redemption bought by Christ.

Compare/contrast Christ and David.

[3] the Cross anticipated

Intro

C.S. Lewis LWW, Aslan sacrifices himself upon an alter for the sins of Edmund, one of the four children. The blood-debt owed would have been a horrific debt for Edmund, but Aslan takes it upon himself to pay the debt. He is humiliated, tortured, and killed.

Aslan is placed upon an altar to atone for the sins of Edmund, the one who betrayed him. And even here with David, David recognizes the necessity of atonement and builds an altar to the Lord. In stark contrast, however, as noted previously, David is guilty. David is not only offering up atonement on behalf of the people but also on behalf of himself.

How the Cross is anticipated.

The cost

Favorite verse of this passage, Verse 24 “I will not offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing” - Christ in offering himself which was a wage that we could never pay back.

Oxen

Whole life was to man’s service

Mark 10:45“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

Death was in payment for man’s sins

Hebrews 9:22“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Peter 1:18–19“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Christ laid down his life for you

Its Extent

Gentile in the midst of Israel (Araunah)

Representation of the extent of Christ’s atonement, to every tribe, tongue, nation

Mark 11:17“And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.””

Later elaborated in John 4:21–23“Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

Both extent and particularity, John 10:14–18 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.””

Its sufficiency

Plague was averted

ref to an aversion of God’s wrath

Isaiah 53:5–6“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Romans 5:9–11 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

“threshing floor of Araunah”

It may seem insignificant that this individual and even the place is mentioned. Araunah was probably a pagan, as noted by being a Jebusite. He also indicates to David, “may the Lord YOUR God accept you.”

The threshing floor is explicitly related to Mount Moriah, the very place Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2“He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.””)

And this location would be the very place Solomon would build the temple, 2 Chronicles 3:1“Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

At this very place, when the temple is rebuilt, as Jesus offers himself up once for all, the very place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac by faith, where the Israelites sought atonement by faith, would be the place where the holy of holies would no longer separate man from God, but God would dwell in man by His Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,”

Matthew 27:51“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”

Covenantal promises made manifest.

Jeremiah 31:31–34“ I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.””

Ezekiel 36:24–28“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”