Who Fights Your Battles?

A Man After God’s Heart 11

Intro:

David and the people sin.

God righteously enacts judgment.

2 Accounts of this story today we will read from 2 Sam. 24 the other account is in 1 Chron. 21

God was angry at the people and the Chronicles account tells us that God used Satan to lead David to have his troops counted.

Was this wrong? Exodus 30:12 God expected Moses to take a census of the people. So a census in and of itself was not wrong.

David’s count was a military census. It was as if David needed to know what battles he would win without God’s help.

What we do affects others.

We all stand before God guilty.

Read 2 Samuel 24 (Key verses!!!) 1-4, 9-10, 13-18, 21-25

1 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and he stirred up David against them to say, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”

2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number.”

3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are—while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?”

4 Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.

—

9 Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah. 10 David’s conscience troubled him after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away your servant’s guilt.”

—

13 So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”

14 David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men died. 16 Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family.”

18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

—

21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”Intro:

David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”

22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel ended.

A Man After God’s Heart lesson 11 Who Fights Your Battles? 2 Samuel 24

Because of their lack of trust, God’s righteous anger corrected David and the people of Israel. Placing your faith in anything other than God will end in disaster.

What must we learn about trust?

1. When we don’t trust God, He will use unusual methods to get our attention. v. 1 and 1 Chron. 21:1

Exp: Lord’s anger burned He stirred up David and Satan rose up against Israel

Ill:

App:

2. When we don’t trust God, we have forgotten how good He is. v. 3

Exp: may God multiply the troops, yet the king’s order prevailed

Ill: Did David forget the lions and the giants and the many military victories that God gave him?

App:

3. When we don’t trust God, we rely on inferior sources. v. 10

Exp: “1.3 million troops” it was all about the troops, this was a military census

Ill: US active and reserve all branches 2.4 million 2020

App:

4. When we don’t trust God, there will be consequences. vs. 13, 24

Exp: 70,000 men died, I won’t worship where it doesn’t cost me anything

Ill: But God wouldn’t destroy Jerusalem

App:

5. When we don’t trust God, the only remedy is to fall on the mercy of Jesus. vs. 16-25

Exp: ***This very site is the location of the Temple mount! 2 Chron. 3:1 cf. Gen. 22:2 the place of the sacrifice of Isaac!!!!

*** God said, I will not destroy people who come here to worship and trust me ***

Ill:

App:

Conclusion: When we trust anything other than God we are doomed to disaster.

Invitation: Trust God and God alone today!