I am reading in 2 Sam 24 and 1 Chron 21.... This is the story where David sins by taking a census.... 2 Samuel says God was angry with Israel and caused David do it 1 Chron says that Satan caused David to do it.... Interesting... Anyway....
So David takes the census, even though Joab asks him not to, than David's conscience bothers him and he repents.... So Gad comes to David and gives him the 3 options of punishment that God is giving him. God will do whatever David chooses.....
1. 3 years of famine
2. 3 months of fleeing enemies.
3. 3 days of severe plague in the land.
David chooses #3 because he says he doesn't want to fall into enemy hands, but God's as God's mercy is great. So God sends a death angel and apparently this angel is visible at least to David and Araunah. 70,000 people are killed and than God relents and tells the angel to stop...So the angel is apparently hovering over Araunah's threshing floor. In the mean time David sees the death angel and feels remorse.... Saying that he is the guilty one and to send God's anger on himself and his family....
But God apparently makes a way of escape for David in instructing him to make a sacrifice. So David sacrifices, by buying Araunah's threshing floor (even though, Araunah wants to give it all to David) and than the angel puts his sword back into the sheath... David keeps sacrificing there and eventually decides to build the temple there, even though the tabernacle was currently in the wilderness at the hill of Gibeon... "Because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the LORD"
any way, this story is so fascinating to me with the whole angel of death, I have been pondering that a bit :) also wondering about
--God's mercy in this and judgment
--God/Satan causing David to sin
-- God punishing Israel, wonder what they were being punished for this time (lack of love for God likely )
--David's repentance is interesting, did he fully repent originally, or not fully till he saw what the death angel was doing
--Why was David terrified of the drawn sword of the angel if it was sheathed.... Was he remembering it and was it so terrifying that he couldn't get it out of his head
What do you find interesting about this story?? What stands out to you most?? Read it and see what I missed :)
posted by lisatatj @ 11:34 AM
2 Comments:
I find the death angle thing facinatig too, I also find what you said about davids repentence interesting. If I was david I would have been freaked out about the death angel and I wouldn't be able to get it out of my head.
Wow!! So many things to THINK!!! about! I'm not sure where to begin.
Yes, that whole "God-tempted-me/Satan-tempted-me" thing really has made me wonder. Who was it? God? Satan? Both? Did the author of Chronicles know something the author of Kings didn't? Who wrote first? If the Chronicler wrote after the author of Kings, well, certainly he knew about Kings, right? Why did he change it? Was he correcting the author of Kings on something he got wrong?? (I don't think that's the answer!) Was he trying to show a different point?
And besides, why should the people be slayed if it was David that sinned? Maybe the youth group should be punished next time I do something wrong. :-) J/K But really, that's a hard issue as well.
I dunno. Lots of good questions to THINK about. Thanks Lisa!!
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