2 Samuel 24:1-17 – The Seriousness of Sin
If you’re not yet a Christian, the 70,000 dead bodies this chapter tells us about is a message to us that sin is far more serious than we realise. You may not think your sin is a big deal. But are you going to trust your fallen human mind on that over God? If you don’t think your sin is a big deal, pray that God would reveal that to you. And actually, the biggest testimony to the seriousness of sin and the sinfulness of sin isn’t 70,000 dead in Israel in the year 1000 BC. It’s the Son of God himself hanging on the cross in 33 AD as the sin bearer. That’s what it cost that our sin might be forgiven. 1000 years later, it wasn’t a destroying angel coming to Jerusalem. But an angel coming to sustain the Lord as he went to the cross.
David loved his people. But his actions brought harm on them. As did their own actions. But David’s greater son, the Lord Jesus, would instead come and bring salvation to his people. And so this story at the very end of 2nd Samuel, which seems so hard for us to get our heads round at first, which doesn’t give us the triumphant end to David’s life we might expect, actually points us forward to the Lord Jesus in a tremendous way. Which isn’t surprising. Because that’s the very reason God gave us the Bible in the first place.
Question
- How does this passage show the seriousness of sin?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.