“That I May Know the Number of the People” (2 Sam 24:1-2)

How Big Am I?

Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah." So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people."

We're weak as God makes us, and it is our own fault. In Him, we are POWERFUL, even if we are not the mightiest. 1 Samuel 23:17 says, “These things were done by the three mighty men”, so that we do great things and conquer with God. In ourselves, what we deserve, we are always an inch above chastisement for the evil within. Only God refrains us from sin. He keeps us from falling, and when He is displeased, He allows us to fall. He directs things, so that He may be exalted before us. He uses the SIN that's inside of us to chastise it out of us, bringing us into devotion. We must walk devoted to God, or we must learn it.

But, like Job, we are never SO high spiritually as to not merit reproach.

Learn this.

1. 
   
   
   God is totally in control of our falls and the pain we endure (vs1-2).
2. 
   
   
   God will have us worship Him broken heartedly (vs24).
3. 
   
   
   God is good to sinners (vs25).

First, God is in control of all things, even our falls, and the pain procured It is written, “He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah” (vs1). The evil is in us that must be chastened out, and we DO things that bring about great falls. That failure wasn't isolated; it was the result of many little failures adding up.

God makes us learn that we are sinners, and He keeps us worshiping Him on His terms as nothings. He humbles pride, “and those that walk in pride He is able to abase” (Dan 4:37).

Secondly, God will have us worship broken heartedly. David said, “nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing” (vs24). He will have us mercifully saved and not meritoriously delivered. He will have us abased in self, so that He will heartily be praised and nothing else. He is jealous of His glory and has declared that all things would honor the Son, that praise and thanks would become us, and we'd worship in reverence and fear. Hebrews 12 says, “let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:28-29). The Most High is in awe in the assembly of the saints. He is feared in His majesty, praised in His dealings, and bowed to in His providences. I have been ministered to by a quote from Jeremiah Burroughs, “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." He is worshiped in everything because His love and wisdom demand it. He is who we love, and the reward is sweet.

Thirdly, God is GOOD to all who look to Him, “so the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel” (vs25). He gave the mighty men great deeds, even as He gives grace to David to shine again.

This man's PRIDE brought him low, and now mercy will exalt him again. David was a great, great man upon the earth, and yet he obtained God freely, undeservedly, and obtained mercy amidst horrid wickedness's and deeds. He should embolden you and I to great acts of love because we are so freely received and given power. We can improve, grow, and be more pure for Christ. It is God who works in us, freely, powerfully, and simply by BELIEVING His love.

His mighty men, finally, are examples to us. “These things were done” scripture says, “by the three mighty men” (2 Sam 23:17). Be thrilled and possessed by the Lord's might. Be strong in grace. Know and believe God is on your side, to receive you again, falls and all. Know to love those who love you, and honor Christ for everything.

Know God's love is real, and live upon it, faults and all.

“Speak Unto David” (2 Sam 7:1-5, 17)

“According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David” (vs17).

Faithfulness is required of Christ‘s messengers, but we are GIVEN SPACE to repent. In the Revelations 2-3, five of the seven churches are rebuked with “Repent, or else”, “or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place”, “or else I will come unto you quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth”, etc (Rev 2-3).  Therefore, God, like you and I, gives space to REPENT before He cuts us off, and if we do repent, then that which was so bad that caused Him to warn us sharply, shall be forgotten in Jesus’ blood and newness of life - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness“ (1 John 1:9).

If we DON’T repent, then we’ll be destroyed, evidencing that we didn’t know God, or we’ll lose our testimony, even if salvation is ours.  Therefore, preach, warn, and rebuke pastors who err, but if they repent, receive them as FULLY as Christ RECEIVES repenting sinners. No man is perfect, and we have all walked foolishly before: the issue isn’t is he “perfect” in the flesh and without fault; the issue is DO YOU AND I REPENT, so that we’re blameless before God, not because we haven’t sinned, but by grace, we do it no more.

You Know Your Servant (2 Sam 7:18-24)

“And what can David say more unto you? For you, Lord God, know your servant” (vs20)

Knowing how evil we are, God blesses us still, because the gospel glorifies God’s grace, which is to SINNERS through the blood and power of Christ, so that all things are done by God, freely, for those He chooses, by the power that’s irresistible.  The GRACE of God made us love God, as we saw beauty in Jesus Christ, the One whom God esteems. Grace enabled us to BELIEVE on His glory to the saving of our souls, and GRACE, that grace that landed us on Christ, has continually brought the FRUIT of faith WITHOUT works. We credit God for everything, so it is not too much that we’re DEPRAVED, unworthy, and weak. God isn’t looking for sinless or strong people; He looks for SINNERS, weak, and DEPRAVED, so that He can do all the works Himself and get all glory to His name. It is written, “Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed”, thus, it isn’t the weak and wicked who are depraved and shut out; it is the SELF-righteous and the STRONG, those who won’t trust Him (Is 45:24). Therefore, to SAVE and bless us, He makes us see our UNRIGHTEOUSNESS and inability to fix ourselves, so that we trust Christ for ALL righteousness, even as we see our STRENGTHLESS-NESS over sin, so that we can trust Him for the Spirit to save us, and thereby GLORIFY Jesus Himself.

Do not get “good enough” or “strong enough” to honor God; take the GOSPEL freely, without merit or power, and believe God so GLORIOUS as to do as He’s promised… even as He’s done before the world began… for you!

“Tent and in a Tabernacle” (2 Sam 7:4-7)

“Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.  In all the places where I have walked with all the children of Israel spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build you not me a house of cedar? (vs6-7)

The Lord doesn’t have to have fancy buildings made with hands. In fact, the early church didn’t build any building of record, but THEY, both the preachers and the people, were FILLED with the Spirit, and sinners came.

If we meet in our home like Priscilla and Aquila, or perhaps like Philemon, and other saints of vigor and yet smallness in number, then don’t be ashamed. So long as God is there, it is the place where I want to be. Christ said, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18:20). Our job isn’t to build a building but to build ourselves up in the holy faith, and they will or won’t come, as He sees fit.  Let our worship reflect our love and reverence for God, but don’t be ashamed to invite people or attend worship where it is orderly, consecrated to God in the gospel, and filled with His Spirit.