Based on 2 Samuel 24 (New King James Version)
“Again the anger of the Lord was aroused 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.’ And Joab said to the king, ‘Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?’ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon; and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ‘Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.’’’ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, ‘Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.’ And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand.’ And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, ‘Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.’ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, ‘Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’ So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’ And David said, ‘To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.’ Now Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.’ And Araunah said to the king, ‘May the Lord your God accept you.’ Then the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.”
Today’s passage is kind of long, but it covers a complete view on how we should ultimately live our life; if we want to avoid the issues that can come with wrong decisions; or, learn how to deal with things when we have done wrong before the sight of God. The first part is that a great tragedy occurs not just because of one man’s decision, but because God had issues with a large group of people as well. We can complain about our leaders all we want, but God allows for questionable leaders to rise when a large group of people stray away from Him, especially a large group of people that should know the difference between right and wrong. Some may say, “Well, the world is a bad place, and the end is at hand, so these things must happen.” That’s true, but you never want to be a part of the masses or their influence because then you become part of the problem. When you follow the crowd, you become as guilty as the crowd. For it is written: “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! Matthew 18:7.
With regards to the “before”, a problem can be avoided personally if you stay close to God, by allowing Him to work in your life and obeying what He tells you to do. After all, if you believe that you are a believer and follower of Christ, I think it would be a good idea to also “do” what He teaches us to do, right? Being only hearers of the Word does nothing for us. We experience the reality of God in our lives when we “do” His will. When you live out your faith in Christ by following Him closely, being led by His Word and the Holy Spirit, in obedience, God will pave a way before you that will keep you safe from those things that can destroy you and/or leave you with lasting consequences. We have to bear in mind, God forgives when we ask for forgiveness, but sin will always have some sort of consequence. So just avoid the situation!
Now, if you are past the point of no return where you are living through the consequences of sin (the during and after); repentance is a wonderful thing. It should weigh on you what you have done wrong. Learn from it. See it for what it is; a wrong decision. Swallow your pride. Pride only hurts; it never helps. And of course, turn away from it. David had a heart like God’s not because he was perfect, but because he knew when he had done wrong; and he turned away from it with all of his heart. David would come to his senses when He had done something terribly wrong and “only” relied on God’s mercy and grace. That is the significance of his decision when he was faced with the three options for punishment; when he said that he would rather fall into the hand of the Lord. When we completely turn away from our wrongs, God can bring restoration.
So, here are a few questions. Are you forming part of the wave of the world, absorbed by the evil influence? And, are you leaning on God’s mercy, by turning completely away from a troubled past, living a life of repentance so God can restore the damage? Lord bless! John