The Power of Grace

God’s Grace Demonstrated in Unlikely Events

2 Samuel 21-24

“David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”

 

                  At first glance, it seems that David’s life began with a bang but ended with a thud.  When first introduced, David was a young man who exemplified a deep love and commitment to God.  He was fearless and unwavering in his obedience.  He stood before the giant Goliath with complete confidence that God would give the victory.  However, it is easy to start the Christian life with commitment and confidence, but we can come to the end of life in fear and doubt.  The last events of David seem to be a paradox of faith and doubt.  In chapters 21 and 22, he declares the praise of God who has given him the victory and protected him in the trials and troubles of life.  As David reflects on his life, he stands in awe of the faithfulness and deliverance of God demonstrated time and time again (chapter 22).  His last song, which he wrote, celebrates the wonder of the covenant God has made to him.  

                  However, the last event of David’s life brings disaster and death to the nation of Israel.  The event seems innocuous.  David commands Joab to go through the nation and count and register all those who are fit to serve in his army in a time of need. This was more than just a government census of the people; it was an act of pride, self-reliance, as well as an act of fear, and failure to trust God.  By taking the census, David turned to his military strength of the country for protection against enemies. Rather than trusting in God, he started trusting his abilities.   One of the dangers of age is that the older we get, the more the world becomes dangerous, and the more we start to become fearful of the future.  In response, we begin to trust in ourselves and our resources rather than God.  Reading through the Scriptures, we find that the great men of the faith often stumbled as they reached their senior years.  It serves as a reminder that the threat of sin never goes away and that we become more susceptible to sin as we get older because we can become complacent and trust in our strength rather than God’s protection.

                  However, along with this warning, we also see a demonstration of God’s grace.  Even though God brought judgment upon the nation because of David’s actions, God used this event to orchestrate the circumstances by which the land would be purchased for the building of the temple under Solomon.  The threshing floor David bought from Araunah the Jebusite would become the location where Solomon would build the temple.  Even when our sin brings consequences, God can still use the event to accomplish His redemptive work.  The place purchased to save the people from the consequences of David’s sin would come to symbolize God’s presence and salvation for the nation.  Even when we sin, we are not outside the sovereign working of God, who can use our acts of sin as an opportunity to demonstrate His grace and accomplish His purpose.  No matter how severe our failure, we are not beyond the grace of God.  In the discipline of God and the consequence of our sin, there remains the opportunity of God’s grace to be demonstrated and His eternal purpose to be accomplished.  All that is needed is for us to confess our sin and accept the offer of His grace.  Rather than David’s failure resulting in His life being a failure, it became the basis for God to achieve His purpose.  In the end, David’s life ended how it started, with God revealing himself powerfully through David.  In David’s youth, God’s power was demonstrated in his victories; at the end of his life, God’s power and grace were shown in his forgiveness.   Also, God reveals His grace and power in us as He forgives our failures and doubts that can plague us.