25.10.2020

(2 Sam 24:1-10) God told David to go and count the people of Israel; and God still punish David for the act why? Did God cause David to sin?

Bible passages: 
1Kings 16:7, 1Kings 14:10, 1Chronicles 21:1, Romans 6:5-, Romans 26:23, Psalm 15:17, Lamentation 3:37, Judges 7.

Discussion:
There is a pattern in the bible that shows that God punishes sinner by raising up enemies then punish the country that He used. Example of such is in: 1Kings 14:10 God’s prophecy against the house of Jeroboam. “So I will soon bring disaster to you and family. I will kill all the men in your family, both slaves and free men. I will destroy your family as completely as fire burns up manure. 1Kings 16:7 …. Baasha had done many things the Lord said were wrong, which made the Lord very angry . … The Lord also spoke against Baasha because he killed all of Jeroboam’s family.
Back to the question: Did God cause David to sin? 1Chronicles 21:1 “Satan was against Israel, and he caused David to count the people of Israel”.
God does not tempt but could allow Satan to tempt us.
James 1:13-15 When you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone. A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do. When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.
2Samuel 24:1 “The Lord was angry with Israel again, and he caused David to turn against Israelites. He said “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah”.”
1Samuel 13:14 “…. the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people … “
These are Samuel’s words to Saul. God told Samuel that David is a man of His Own heart. When David became king, he had the habit of consulting God before he takes action. In addition, David always praises God and thank Him for making him King of Israel. 2Samuel 22 talked about how David praises God,  he wrote the book of Psalm. Why did he put himself in a situation where he was tempted?
As a believer we need to be watchful as the devil always look for ways to make the children of God fall.
1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
2Samuel 24:3 Joab tried to warn David about the sin that he was about to commit but he didn’t listen.
God sees the intent of the heart; maybe David was feeling proud at the time. We need to pray that we are not vulnerable to sin, in Jesus Name. Amen

Praise God🙏🏽