2 Samuel 24:1-4 (NIV), Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and He incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah. So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the
fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.” But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?” The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
2 Samuel 24:10-11, 15 (NIV) David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad, the prophet, David’s seer: “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” v.15
So the Lord sent a plague…
2 Samuel 24:17 (NIV) When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong, These are but sheep. What have they done? Let Your hand fall upon me and my family.”
An elderly relative was an avid believer in aliens, Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster; but he would argue vehemently against God. As an adult, I would be watching the beautiful night sky with him, admiring the handiwork of God, while he searched for the ever-evasive flying saucer. Do I believe aliens
exist? The way I look at it is, if there is life on some other planet in God’s magnificent universe; they have the same God we do. In addition, if it were important for us to invest our time and energy in searching for them, Jesus would have included that in the great commission.
This man lectured me constantly on why I should pay heed to his beliefs and ignore my own. One day he ‘taught’ me about Moses and Pharaoh, saying that the way God behaved in Egypt proved He should not be worshipped. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Because God drowned all the Egyptian soldiers but
let Pharaoh get off scot-free!” he griped. The ‘textbook’ for his lesson on Exodus came from a Hollywood movie script, not the Bible. I hope you open your Bible enough to know the difference!
Sadly, this man was not a believer; but even as children of God, we are capable of misunderstanding our Lord. David was a man after God’s own heart, yet in the scriptures above he clearly questioned God’s decision. You and I have the privilege of understanding why God chose that course of action, but David
was clueless. As I read this passage tonight, three truths jumped out at me. First: God clearly had a reason for His actions. Next: He listened to David’s complaint without judging him. Last but not least: God chose not to explain Himself to David.
God does not owe an explanation for what He does in our lives either. We are welcome to ask if we are longing to understand but that does not mean He will answer. God knows the complexities of all that exists. In contrast, our frame of reference is based on limited info entangled with emotions. Therefore,
He is precise in sharing what we need to know. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God’s thoughts are His private property. He who is Sovereign over the entire universe is free to keep or share them as He sees fit. We do not have any entitlement here, just grace, mercy and insight as He deems best.