2 Samuel Chapter 24:1-10

Here in this counting thing which starts to paint the picture that Dave is on the counter people to know how strong is our or perhaps observed was a temple tax to know how big his tax base will gotta sing don't trust that trust me, even if God influence distance.

This decision David still is the one who makes the decision welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee Senior Pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina today.

McGee is teaching through second Samuel chapter 24 verse by verse one of David McGee's associate pastors is pastor DA Brown welcomed the program DA hey Bob, were excitable God is doing to cross the bridge with pastor David want take a few minutes to pray for some cities in our listening audience in California. We have Chico Clearlake Kalinga Crescent city, Desert hot Springs, Doris and Eureka Lord, we pray for people in the cities to tune in and listen. We pray that you would heal them.

After battling some physical ailments. We pray that today, many people will put their hope and trust in you for their personal salvation God. We pray that people would be excited about following you and the cities and got we pray for the churches and pastors that they would walk in unity that they would stick to the vision that you've given them more that they would apply your word in every area of their life in Jesus name, amen, amen, amen, brother. Thank you so much for praying for audience is returning to second Samuel chapter 24 working to see us and the David committed that most people don't think about, but it was obviously something is very important to God DA what are some of the lessons that we want to take away from King David's experience here Bob we want to be used by God. We want God to do great things through us to be a blessing to other people. It's important that our motivation not be for others to give us attention, but our motivation to be for God's glory for attention to be put on him in this chapter will see that brought to life in King David's life, so let's listen as David McGee shares verse by verse. Starting in second Samuel chapter 24 chapter and we talked before, that these last few chapters of second Samuel, are not in a chronological order 23 is exception of the last four chapters because it says that these are the last words of David so we know that they happen.

Towards the end of his life. Chapter 21, 22, 24 are exceptions. We know that for a couple reasons. One, which is when we go through the book of Chronicles, some of which is actually a repeat of what we've just gone through second Samuel, there is a chronological order that you can see there's a there's a pattern for these That being said, we we go chapter by chapter. Which means we finish up one chapter we start the next chapter.

What I said because you could be in a church for 20 years and probably not hear the chapter that I teach tonight, and here's why. I don't mean honestly this is difficult chapter teach. It's a difficult chapter to read different difficult chapter to understand others.

A couple reasons for that.

One of which is were attempting at all times. As we read the Bible were varied on the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us. When you read the Bible you can in your own carnal mind understand what God is trying to communicate with things is very good to do is pray before you read your Bible, or get into a devotion or special before Bible study. Lord, please reveal your word to me, send your Holy Spirit that I might see this clearly so were trying to understand and implement God with a finite mind and so that's one of the challenges and so you were looking at this chapter and and and get ready to jump in here again are some difficult issues in here but because we go verse by verse chapter by chapter.

Working to jump in this chapter, you got ready all right to have you ready you guys ready. So second Samuel chapter 24 verse one is again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel and he moved David against them. This day go, number Israel and Judah. So right off the bat we we have just the verse I have a lot of things in it. The difficult passage of Scripture. Again, this is actually just the difficult verse to be honest there's some parallels on the account in the book of Chronicles, which is helpful to refer to because he knows it's been said that the best commentary on the word of God is the word of God itself.

And so when you get something like this, you can go to other verses and got a look at him and I would encourage you to go to at another time. Maybe in your own personal site first Chronicles chapter 21 which is a parallel passage hears the promises, the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

Any moved David to do something that was going that God was against any have to sit back and well what why did God remove him to do something that God was not in let's understand something, there is the concept of the free will of people you have a free will. I have a free will. What that means in spiritual terms is that God can't literally make you in this life do things he have a sometimes a very strong way of convincing us to do something, but yet the decision ultimately is up to us and so David here is making a decision that I believe God farms in his mind there's a passage that is case.

This passage wasn't difficult enough for you. Is there another difficult method and when when it says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart to do some things that he did not let the Israelites go and hearing the passing of what is really fair and got hardened his heart to do something wrong, but the concept was understand hardened his heart did make a decision, Pharaoh made the decision God affirmed that decision in Pharaoh.

In other words, Pharaoh verse maybe like yeah I'm going to do this and then firmly within his rebellion against God. Now, I believe the same sort of thing happened here. I believe David wanted the count and I think for the wrong reasons is will bring out in this chapter and God, steeled that reserve in hand was reversed to an opponents… Verse two.

So the king said to Joab, the commander of the Army was with them. 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. So this is where David is going to mess up that lets us know something because there's other places in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament where they counted the people and I wasn't wrong. There's a couple of times were God had him count the people and so I'm usually counting the people wasn't a wrong or bad things we have to say okay there's something more that's going on here and I think number one, we can look at what was the what was the motivation. Why was David wanting to count the people alive time you can do something that seems like the right thing, but your motivation is wrong and you need understand that God is not impressed by our false or fake works like if you do something good just to just to be seen by people then God sees that you're not necessarily really doing is under him a member. Years ago, and I'm sure this for I was on staff as an assistant pastor and worship leader and you know have done a lot of musical things of Enoch came came of the church and and we set around a staff meeting and we were sound and tasking duties and came around who was going to win that church didn't have a sparkling and Sergey came around who was going to clean the restaurant and they say will you know you clean the men and women's restrooms, and is it okay today they said no, that will be your role in the set of house. I was young in the ministry and I said okay but to be honest I will tweet about. I said okay I'll do it on the unit so I go after few days of clean restroom everyday.

You know, clean restroom one day and then their neck.

I got a bad attitude and the Lord says the leader some cleaning the restrooms free and in that still small voice got that we can stop now. Not real impressed. I got my attention. I said I said well I'm doing it lowers your heart see you but I'm doing it again where your heart set on doing it but your heart is not in Lord, I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be in this church, much less be working at the church, much less being clean restroom. I don't deserve this.

I don't deserve to be a gatekeeper at your house or anything else, I'm a wretched sinner and Lord forgive me I'm sorry I was wrong of me.

From that day on I really enjoy clean restroom and I had a way of purifying my heart in that I enjoy it so much so that that yeah couple months later, something you know the church at another staff member were in a staff meeting and the pastor said also so clean the restrooms out like that's my job. They said well it was your job you can do the right thing but have the wrong heart about what your I'm glad you're here we go and say that I'm glad you're here tonight could be somewhere else but what your heart and being here is your heart hey I want to learn about God and worship God or is your heart again. God sees your heart and sometimes you have to just act outside of your motion to Candace folly or motion. But if your heart is continually not in something that's a good thing that's appear thing that's under the Lord, you know, if there's a problem and you need to do heart check so there's something in David about discounting this just all work in frozen theories out there. As we move along going back to verse one.

If you're looking at it. The new King James says again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel and he there's a H there moved David against them to say have an unfortunate translation when you go into the Hebrew.

The reason is HEH would seem to indicate that it was God who moved David to do this but when you go into the Hebrew. The only time that God's name appears is when it says the anger anger of the Lord now about using the Bible as a commentary. Here's what Chronicles adds to this first Chronicles 21 one said now Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

So now you're beginning understand SC later on doing his job to see if it's a difficult thing but here's what I believe God gave his permission to Satan who came and tempted David in this way when David started going down that way. God then firmed David's heart in this decision for a lot of times in your life you've gone to do the wrong thing and instead of God, to rolling year-round.

God said okay that's what you want to go for an and friend that's one of the worst things that can happen to is if you get so headstrong that you win in a tug-of-war with God and God. Okay, go ahead. I'll be here to catch you when you get through and that is happened in my life and it is been some of the most painful times in my life when God let me have my way to a lot of times we think the worst thing that could happen is that God completely gets away with it. He gets his way in our lives is the best thing that can happen from the worst thing that can happen is for you to have your own way in your life remember the next time you're here, and that little total war with God, not that anybody else here does that, but I used to so I want to assure that right yeah that's that's for a church down the road, not for this one, but I thought I'd go ahead and share that with so here we have this and and again since counting is not bad the census is not a legal we can know there's something more going on and actually when you read the account first Chronicles 21. Seems that it seems indicate nothing verse three or for the seems indicate that it what David is asking the do is illegal so okay will.

There was something going on more than the county.

You're listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge will be back with more than just a moment but first, if you haven't been to our website@crossthebridge.com yet what are you waiting for go to cross the bridge.com to learn more about how listeners like you are helping get the life-changing truth of God's word to more people to the radio, Internet and mobile technologies across the bridge.com you can also check out our broadcast schedule. Listen to more teaching from Pastor David and sign up for Pastor David's free daily devotional and there's more thereto, so visit cross the bridge.com today. Now here's Pastor David as he continues showing verse by verse, verse three. And Joab said to the king now may the Lord your God add to the people. 100 times more than there are. May the house of my lord the king see it, but why does my lord the king desire this thing, desire, and the new King James actually King James has the light in the Hebrew word is pleasure in literally so jobsite. Why does my king have pleasure in this counting thing which starts to paint the picture that David is on the counter people to know how strong is our or perhaps since there was a temple tax to know how big his tax base was which are two reasons that God is saying don't trust that trust me, even if God influence distance. This decision David still is the one who makes the decision. David is responsible for his decision. I know sometimes what I just thinks the know that were responsible for decisions, but that's the reality.

That's a big part of biblical counseling, one because a lot of nonbiblical counseling rotates around who you can blame that it's not your fault. However, he messed up you are now, however, send stained or whatever you did last week a lot of counseling a lot of psychiatric and psychological counseling is to figure out who we can blame, and so then after a few weeks. After a few months or after your lot more broker than when you went and you figure out that you know your mother didn't hold enough as a baby and your father did wave to you every time he laughed and that's why you are where you know where your and that's why you know, if you don't believe me, I mean if you been to counseling, you know I'm telling the truth. And even if you never in the Council just pick up the newspaper because people always doing crazy things and then like 12 people and say well you know my mom didn't know me enough as a baby. That's what killed a dozen people. Goes all okay. I know it's hard to take responsibility for our decisions and unknowingly mess that we like to blame other people, but are healing often comes numerous more willing to say you know what that was me. I made that decision. I did the wrong thing caused all this to go haywire. I'm not in the sand back and just said other people try to blame other people because here's the thing why you're blaming other people for something you did wrong, you're not repent. You're not in a place to ask God for forgiveness while you're still saying is somebody else's phone. How can you ask God to forgive God just forgive that person over there. They they influence me to do the wrong thing she can't literally ask God for forgiveness for another person only free so God doesn't violate our free will. The life lesson.

Here's God looks at our motivation for doing the things we do now that can be scary. Some of you read that and all my gosh eat he sees that my motivation is not peer. Very few things that we do in life or motivation is completely pure as long as it's leaning towards that way were in a good place ever.

Motivations are completely impure, then what happens what will really mean hypocrite or being a hypocrite of her completely not doing in and not into what were no now God wants to influence our decisions at times in your life. God will seek to strongly influence your decision but is still your decision to your friend.

Sometimes when you get that tug-of-war with God. God not really want to do this and I just knew that I really want to do this nation knew that I really want is okay so worsening it can happen in our public schools played tug-of-war 45 years ago with God, played tug-of-war and they came out they said you know we don't want prayer in school anymore what they were working to make illegal, they want and they lost because now they're spending millions and millions of dollars to figure out why children want to kill other children. My children want to kill themselves while premarital pregnancies are on the rise of teenage pregnancies are on the rise all these things when we mascot to take his hands off our public education system gets okay that's what you want so David has this weird motivation and God and allow them to go forward with. And again when this happens when God says okay. Trouble and pain in her head. Verse four. Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joe and against the captains of the Army.

Therefore, Joab and the captains of the Army went out from the presence of the king.

The count the people again. Another indicator that something is wrong is the king's word prevailed not only against Joe Abbott against the captains of the Army. If it was a simple sentences, Joab, and these captains would not have been against the have to be something else going on were to read a few more verses I will throw out a couple things that it may have been verse five and the cost of the Jordan camp in Aurora on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the Ravine of Gadsden toward Kaiser dessert. Then they came to Gilead into the land of tough team hold each coach I they came to Dan on and around the side of they came to the stronghold of tire to all the cities of the headlights and the Canaanites.

Then they went out the South unit as far as yeshiva. So when they had gone through all the land they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days, that's how long it to count all these people then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king and there were an Israel 800,000 valiant man who drew the sword and the men of Judah were 500,000 men. It's interesting that in the census. In verse nine and when it talks about the numbers. It talks about soldiers doesn't mention the women. It doesn't mention the children. Why would that be well only reason the count all your soldiers is to calculate your strength. Why would God be against David calculating his strength by counting the Army.

Where was David strength was it in the Army. What where is the Army when David was staring at this huge man to lie within the Army none Army wasn't there.

It was it in the sling for interesting teaching start about how good David was with the sling in the rocks and he probably was what was that, where's power was was in somehow David momentarily forgot that that is power was from God, and he wanted to measure his power by the number of soldiers that he had again he could've been doing this for tax reasons to tax the soldiers to tax the people probably what he was doing was trying to calculate a strength measure his strength by the number of people that were in the Army.

He got in the some bad thinking now living the there's people here in this fellowship that on Sunday morning they did on Thursday night to that actually count people we count the players while we do it simply, administratively, to know when to add another service.

How many shares woman might need chairs that sort of thing.

That's a legitimate thing now because we didn't count for a long time but then we thought, you know this is really poor planning and got convicted me as I was reading the Bible and he said no, your flocks and herds well thought out casino people origami people going to and I thought that was a really spiritual answer until God showed me that Scripture know your flocks and herds well and it was like you didn't sound too good anymore thought you know what week we should. This is something we should know wishing manager.

God bless some guys when we first started they were like oh this is bad is not good counting people are motivation for doing it was pure never looked at how many people came and looked at go say hi, teach that all I need to do that again.

I never thought all well you know I drove off a bunch in the last couple weeks. I need to lighten up a little bit. I've never done but I think it's emailing in and being in an organization. There some validity in that as long as your motivation is a good one. We don't global hole okay now or do you know God's blessing now because you can't do that. So David on the calendar, soldiers, and there was something wrong. We can sit here and we can go on and on and theorize about it, but let's just say something was wrong. Something was amiss and the reason he wanted to. There was a problem. It was a trust issue where he was in trust in God.

Verse 10 David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord.

Absent greatly in what I've done, but now I pray the Lord, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I've done very foolish to point out a couple. David's heart condemned, and after he had numbered the people. How long did it take for David to get convicted well go back to verse eight when they gone through all the land. The conversion at the end of nine months and 20 days in at least a David that long to be convicted about this. Praise God. He was convicted. Sometimes it takes a while to get convicted about ever notice that you knew something wrong and then sometimes hours, sometimes minutes, sometimes days, sometimes weeks, sometimes years later you look back or situation a while and NOL and very well you go to a family reunion or family gathering. You try to figure out why somebody's angry at you can't figure out the Holy Spirit as you treat now on no other matter. David's convicted convinced we use convicted convinced is similar work convinced of wrongdoing. When you do with that as long as David felt that right. That's important for the important part. Somehow we twisted Christianity even thinking that you measure a service by how bad you feel during the service. Occasionally you will feel bad about some things you done under your under no that the Holy Spirit, you should hear church service by bad you beat while services here, you'll get a little beat up a lot of services are running majority of you'll be incurring because that's what we need.

We need encouragement and it's not enough to feel bad for you knew for sure that your sins have been forgiven.

You can right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things.

Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible.

You've been forgiven you've been born again, so congratulations for you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you.

You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life will DA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and the thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart of David McGee.

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