Year One, October 7

It Is Enough; Now Stay Your Hand1

David’s pride tempted him to number the people. Seventy-thousand of those men were swept away by the plague God sent by his angel.

  

2 Samuel 24:16-25

16And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (The angel of pestilence appeared in visible form. Actually being able to see the angel added special terror to the judgment. What frightening thoughts must have entered their minds as they saw the destroyer unsheathe his sword to strike the empire’s capital city.) 17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

These were brave and well spoken words. Like a true patriot, the king is moved by the misery of his subjects. Like the father of his country, he would rather perish himself than see Israel in such great distress. These people had often acted like wolves to him, but he forgets all their injuries and calls them sheep. They had been guilty of a thousand sins, but, in his zeal for their safety, he makes himself out to be a far greater sinner. He would rather have the punishment fall on him and his, than on those who had sinned against him. In the same way, “our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep”2 stands between the destroying angel and his own redeemed. “If you seek me,” he says, “let these men go.”3

18And Gad (the prophet) came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” (God held back the sword of the destroying angel at the very spot where his angel had held back Abraham from killing his son with a knife.) 19So David went up at Gad’s word, as the LORD commanded. 20And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

21And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Here we have two generous spirits entering into holy competition. One hardly knows who to admire most. True devotion is never stingy. For godly people, the more costly service to God is, the sweeter it is. When giving to God, nothing is too precious. The cost of the gift is not to be thought about when the gift is for him. Some only give to God what they can collect from other people. Our gifts should be from what we actually possess.

25And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

The hill where this threshing floor was located became known as Mount Zion, where Solomon built the temple of the Lord. The temple is a picture of Zion, the church of God, which was also established on a hill of sacrifice. Spiritual Zion, the church of God, is a living memorial in praise of the mercy of God that spared his people. It is where the sword of justice is forever sheathed. Have we come to Mount Zion? Are we safe in the precious blood of sprinkling? These are extremely serious questions that must be answered. Each one of us will one day be required to answer them before the great heart-searching God of heaven.

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¹ 2 Samuel 24:16

² Hebrews 13:20

³ John 18:8