2 Samuel 24 - David's Sin and the Plague | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to 2 Samuel Chapter 24, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.

In 2 Samuel Chapter 24 we have a census. Here it says God led him to take a census, but In 1 Chronicles 21 it says in the other telling that “Satan” enticed David to take the census. So who orchestrated it? This is a similar passage to Job where Satan accuses Job, God consents, and then later is is seen as God’s action. God allows it because he knows that ultimate goodo will come from it, but he is not the initiator.

Ultimately nothing can happen without God allowing it, but he allows free will and other things because he knows these things are required for ultimate good outcomes. The whole of human history is a similar situation to this. How did evil originate? There will always be people who blame God because without some allowance it could never have gotten started. God knows however that by allowing human free will, we will have error, sin, pain and other things, but ultimately will be achieved a great mystery, the union of God and humanity.

True love cannot be arrived at without the possibility of hate. Also, in the Chronicles 21 version of the census it comes back with different numbers. It says that there were 1.1 million men including 470000 men from Judah. This video explains a possible reason why. Finally God gives David a choice of three consequences, and he chooses the quickest one. In the punishment we have here is another example of the layers of reality working together.

People are dying, and the cause of death is a spiritual one, an angel, but the corresponding reality is a physical pestilence. This video discusses, free will, sovereignty, differences in biblical stories and the layers of reality