2 Samuel 24
PassageKing David has his ups and downs over time. He had great conquests and defeated his enemies, establishing peace with his neighbors. However, he also had his dark moments where he strayed away from God’s desire. In 2 Samuel chapter 24 we read about something that on the surface, when compared to his other sins, does not seem that big. David decides to take a census of the people without consulting God.
This was not what God wanted and David had to pay the consequences for his disobedience. God gave him a choice of punishment, and none were easy to choose. David realized he had not paid attention to God’s direction and accepted the punishment from God where 70,000 of his people were killed by pestilence.
Compared to David’s other punishments for raiding and pilliaging villages, and having sex with Bathsheba then killing her husband, this seems to not match up with the sin. This makes us realize that God’s ways are not ours and His ways are higer thatn ours, as Isaiah mentioned. The key takeaway is that God does not measure sin as we do and He hates all sin, but He still loves us as He did David.
We need to quit seeing God as He ought to be and accept Him as the scripture portrays Him.