The Life of David- 2 Samuel 24
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1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
Obedience is defined, compliance with an order, request, law, or submission to another’s authority. On the other hand, disobedience is defined, failure or refusal to obey rules or someone in authority.
People like obedience. Parents want their children to obey. Leaders want their followers to obey. Society should want people to obey the law. However, problems follow when people disobey.
To circumvent outright disobedience, people will partially obey. Partial obedience occurs when someone does just enough to get by, but does not fully follow through with expectations.
As followers of Christ, partial obedience is dangerous. Devotional writer from the fifteenth century, Thomas a Kempis, wrote, “Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.”
Delayed obedience could also be considered partial obedience.
Why do we like it when people obey?
Why is partial obedience wrong?
How does God feel when we disobey?
As we look at this portion of David’s life, we will see— partial obedience is disobedience.
Background
Background
By this point of David’s life, the end is near. Once again, Israel’s enemy, the Philistines came against God’s people. David’s public life began with a fight against the Philistines and it ended with battles against the Philistines.
David made a foolish decision. Before we look at the nature of the decision, 1 Chronicles 21:1 tells the culprit to David’s poor decision.
Satan stood up against Israel and caused David to disobey God. Unlike David’s previous bouts of disobedience, on the surface it seems David did nothing wrong.
He did not commit adultery, murder a friend, and create a conspiracy. Instead, David decided to take a census.
2 Samuel 24:1-4
We do not know exactly why God was angry with David’s decision. It could be that David acted in pride. He did not need to know the size of Israel’s army, but he wanted to know.
For once, Joab gave David sound advice. He encouraged him to leave the census alone and trust that Israel had the best army around. Yet David’s word prevailed over Joab and the census was taken.
Evidently David was out of touch with God. Had he been consistent in praying and seeking God about this matter, he would discover that a census was not in God’s will.
David could have spiritualized his decision and attempted to do what he wanted. Technically, he was king, but he did not get God’s permission for the census.
When does disobedience begin?
How do we feel when we disobey God?
Partial disobedience or outright disobedience is an offense to God, one that He takes seriously.
Story
Story
The census took nine months and twenty days. When David received the report, he discovered that he had 500,000 military men in Judah and 800,000 in the rest of Israel.
David’s army of 1.3 million military men compares to 2.5 million in the armed services in the United States in 2019. At the time of David, Israel was 13,000 square miles, the United States is 3,797,000 square miles.
David’s army was well equipped to handle any conflict. Had he taken Joab’s advice and leaved the census alone, the consequences of his partial obedience would have been avoided.
2 Samuel 24:10
As David reviewed the results of the census, conviction set on him. He realized that he was foolish for taking the census without consulting God.
David’s partial obedience came because he made a decision without consulting God. He did not seek God about his desire and eventual decision.
The Law of God encourages people to seek God:
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
David wrote at least two Psalms that included seeking God:
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
David did not take his own advice or God’s instructions to seek God.
How do we seek God?
Why should we seek God before every decision we make?
It would be easy to get down on David for his choice not to seek God, but he did ask God for forgiveness. God was willing to forgive his sin, but it did not come without consequences.
2 Samuel 24:11-13
A prophet came to David with a message from the Lord. The message was plain, he partially obeyed me. You made a decision that was within your right, but you did not seek me first.
Here are the consequences— three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of plague. This is one of the only examples in Scripture where God let the guilty party choose their punishment.
Which punishment would you choose?
How do you think David felt?
David selected three days of plagues and as a result 70,000 people died in the land. But God relented from His anger.
2 Samuel 24:16-18
The plague came upon the land, and in God’s anger toward David’s sin, he prepared to destroy the land. However, God extended mercy.
The angel that poured out God’s judgment stopped short of total annihilation. David was overwhelmed by the consequences of his sin. He begged God for mercy, and the Lord relented.
God instructe David to build an altar and make a sacrifice. He went to purchase a place to do so. The owner of the land was so honored that David wanted to build an altar, he offered to give everything to David.
Yet David chose to purchase everything he needed and he refused the gift. He then made a sacrifice and God sent fire from heaven to accept the offering. God answered David’s prayer and stopped the plague on Israel.
How would we feel if were in David’s position?
How do you think God felt when He saw David was genuinely repentant?
Application
Application
While we might wonder, why would David do something so foolish, God does not have that perspective. The moment David repented and God accepted His offering, everything was forgiven.
God did not remember the disobedience, but the genuine repentance.
Likewise, when we sin and repent, God forgives us. His anger burns hot toward sin. However, unlike David, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ.
He took the penalty of our sin on the cross and now we have access to God, to seek Him and get His help. Disobedience is not always outright. Often it comes in the form of partial obedience.
Why is it easier for us to obey than for David?
What does God expect from us?
How do we know when we’ve disobeyed God?
What are some ways Christians partially obey God?
Challenge
Challenge
Ask God for His help to obey Him
Repent of any partial obedience
Seek God for every decision we make