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Taking A Count of the People - The Books of 2 Samuel & 1 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the king said to Araunah, Nay,
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  Speaker 1: but I will surely buy it of thee at a price.
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  Speaker 1: Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my
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  Speaker 1: God of that which cost me nothing. So David bought
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  Speaker 1: the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Samuel 24 24 Dear Lord, when the abundance of
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  Speaker 1: your goodness is apparent and on display in my life,
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  Speaker 1: I will make sure that insecurities won't lead me into
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  Speaker 1: thinking that all I have will be preserved by my
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  Speaker 1: own methods and tactics. As you increase the works of
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  Speaker 1: my hands, Lord, help me not to see those you've
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  Speaker 1: called me to lead as commodities and not sheep you've
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  Speaker 1: called me to honor, protect, and shepherd. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: you are my sustaining force and the lifter of my head.
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  Speaker 1: Keep me from experiencing loss and defeat as David did.
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  Speaker 1: I will instead look to you and your power to
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  Speaker 1: cover my weak areas when I feel insecure and inadequate.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for reminding me that my life is about
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  Speaker 1: serving and helping others as I grow to become more
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  Speaker 1: like you. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Taking Account of the People In our last story, we
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  Speaker 2: witnessed the continued bravery of David even into old age.
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  Speaker 2: He continued to wage war against all who would threaten
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  Speaker 2: the flock of God. As a result, David became weary,
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  Speaker 2: but did not lose hope in the Lord of his salvation.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we witness an odd change in the
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  Speaker 2: character of David as he takes a census over the
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  Speaker 2: people in order to maintain control and wealth for the nation,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we
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  Speaker 3: learned how David made right on a wrong done by
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  Speaker 3: his predecessor Saul to the Gibeonites, and how God blessed
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  Speaker 3: his righteous actions with prosperity for Israel. The Philistines once
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  Speaker 3: again attacked, wanting to plunder Israel's wealth, but David's army
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  Speaker 3: was strong, well-trained, and courageous, just as their leader David.
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  Speaker 3: David now is in his older years, and he had
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  Speaker 3: built a legacy, a life of courage and conviction and
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  Speaker 3: commitment that glorified God and blessed the people of God.
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  Speaker 3: So today, we'll hear how David actually allowed some insecurity
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  Speaker 3: in and a sense of ownership of the people, causing
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  Speaker 3: him to seek to control God's people by taking a census.
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  Speaker 3: Though he was warned by his friend and commander Joab,
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  Speaker 3: David pushes forward. And As always, when we disobey God,
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  Speaker 3: there is a price to pay for his actions, and
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  Speaker 3: David will be faced with a very tough decision. What
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  Speaker 3: will he choose? Let's find out on today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: David arose early in the morning. His bones creaked as
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  Speaker 2: he lifted himself out of his bed. His muscles were sore,
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  Speaker 2: and every step revealed a new part of his body
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  Speaker 2: that ached. David's youth was waning. Decades of battle had
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  Speaker 2: aged him rapidly. His once muscular and chiseled frame felt
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  Speaker 2: as if it had been slightly eroded by the sea.
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  Speaker 2: David washed his face and gazed into the mirror. His
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  Speaker 2: beard was becoming gray, and the light in his eyes
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  Speaker 2: seemed to be dimming. David realized that he was no
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  Speaker 2: longer the young warrior who defeated Goliath. He was older
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  Speaker 2: and less capable of defending Israel with his sword. In
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  Speaker 2: light of this new insecurity, David decided to take a
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  Speaker 2: census of the nation to measure the vastness in Israel.
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  Speaker 2: He took great pride in the work he had done
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  Speaker 2: as king. Therefore, he desired to measure his success by
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  Speaker 2: accounting the people in his armies. He also wanted to
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  Speaker 2: gauge how vulnerable Israel might be to outside attack. David
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  Speaker 2: gathered Joab and said, We will take a census of
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  Speaker 2: all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. We
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  Speaker 2: will know just how many people are within our borders.
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  Speaker 2: Joab winced at David's orders. He knew that the census
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  Speaker 2: was a means to control people, The law of Moses
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  Speaker 2: clearly stated that a man only had the right to
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  Speaker 2: count what belonged to him. Israel belonged to God, not David.
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  Speaker 2: Joab knew this and spoke up to David, saying, You
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  Speaker 2: know I love you, king. It is my prayer that
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  Speaker 2: God blesses you a hundredfold. But why would you do
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  Speaker 2: this to the people? It would cause unrest and discomfort.
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  Speaker 2: David ignored Joab's complaints. He was solely focused on fortifying
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  Speaker 2: what he had built. He sent out all of his
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  Speaker 2: commanders to comb the country to count all of the people.
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  Speaker 2: Nine months had passed, and David's men had disrupted every city, town,
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  Speaker 2: and farm in Israel to count its members. Joab returned
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  Speaker 2: from his nine-month journey and handed the records to David.
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  Speaker 2: Joab's eyes scanned David's demeanor as he read the results
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  Speaker 2: of the census. There was only one thing David truly
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  Speaker 2: cared about. In the nation of Israel, there were 1.3
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  Speaker 2: million capable men able to fight. With this, David put
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  Speaker 2: down the report and went to bed. That night, David
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  Speaker 2: tossed and turned in his bed. David's delicate conscience began
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  Speaker 2: to stir within him. He imagined all of the people
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  Speaker 2: of Israel being rounded up like cattle to be counted.
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  Speaker 2: He pictured the humiliated look on men's faces when soldiers
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  Speaker 2: entered their homes. He sat up from his bed and
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  Speaker 2: took a deep breath. He covered his face with his hands.
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  Speaker 1: And began to weep.
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  Speaker 2: What have I done?
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  Speaker 1: He whispered.
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  Speaker 2: David got up from his bed and grabbed his harp.
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  Speaker 2: He sat on his balcony and strummed. It soothed him.
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  Speaker 2: He played for the Lord for a while and began
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  Speaker 2: to weep again. Lord, forgive me. Forgive my guilt. I
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  Speaker 2: have been so foolish. The next morning, a prophet in
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  Speaker 2: the land named Gad sat in the halls of David
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  Speaker 2: waiting for him. David walked around the corner to find
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  Speaker 2: Gad sitting and waiting. He knew why Gad was there
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  Speaker 2: and had no need to ask. Gad arose from his
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  Speaker 2: seat and beckoned David to walk with him. Together they
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  Speaker 2: strode the courtyards of David's home, and Gad spoke clearly
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  Speaker 2: to David, saying, You must choose from three punishments from God.
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  Speaker 2: Only one of the three will be inflicted upon you.
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  Speaker 2: David gulped and nodded for Gad to continue. Three years
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  Speaker 2: of famine, hunger, and strife. Three months of fleeing your
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  Speaker 2: enemies in fear for your life. Three days of severe
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  Speaker 2: plague on the land. These are your choices. David held
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  Speaker 2: his breath for a long moment. His heart began to race.
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  Speaker 2: Sweat dripped down his brow. Every option seemed too much
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  Speaker 2: to bear. I am in a desperate situation, David yelled.
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  Speaker 2: His lower lip began to tremble, but he regained his
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  Speaker 2: composure and said, I would rather us fall into the
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  Speaker 2: hands of the Lord than the hands of man, so
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  Speaker 2: I choose the plague. David's logic seemed to be sound.
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  Speaker 2: He chose three days of a plague than three years
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  Speaker 2: of hunger. However, he also chose the harm of people
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  Speaker 2: over the harm of himself. In the first part of
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  Speaker 2: that week, 70,000 Israelites died of intense sickness. David was
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  Speaker 2: walking the streets with horror as people were crying out
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  Speaker 2: in pain. The anguished cries filled David's ears and he
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  Speaker 2: could hardly bear it. In an emotional daze, David caught
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  Speaker 2: a glimpse of something passing through the streets. Hovering over
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  Speaker 2: the sick and dying, David saw an angel of the
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  Speaker 2: Lord administering the punishment due to Israel because of David. Immediately,
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  Speaker 2: David fell to his knees and prayed to God. Lord,
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  Speaker 2: I am the one who has sinned. David beat his chest.
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  Speaker 2: These people are innocent sheep. They have done nothing. Let
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  Speaker 2: your anger fall on me and my family. Do not
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  Speaker 2: harm them anymore. Finally, David understood. He had lost his
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  Speaker 2: shepherd's heart. In doing the census, David had acted as
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  Speaker 2: a tyrant king instead of a loving shepherd. The very
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  Speaker 2: reason David was chosen as king in the first place
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  Speaker 2: was that he would willingly lay down his life for
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  Speaker 2: the protection and joy of his people. Yet in the
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  Speaker 2: past few years, David had lived his life solely for
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  Speaker 2: his own safety and security. David arose from his knees
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  Speaker 2: and went back to the center of Jerusalem. David sacrificed
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  Speaker 2: much of his personal wealth to build an altar for
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  Speaker 2: the Lord in the center of Jerusalem. There he made
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  Speaker 2: sacrifices to God on behalf of himself and all the
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  Speaker 2: people of Israel. He wept, he worshipped, and he prayed
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  Speaker 2: for the preservation of his sheep. God answered, and there
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  Speaker 2: was a restoration in the land of Israel unlike any
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  Speaker 2: has ever seen.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's passage, David is feeling the toll
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  Speaker 3: of his years. He has fought many battles, and his
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  Speaker 3: body reminds him that he's not a young warrior anymore.
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  Speaker 3: So much of his identity has been wrapped up in
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  Speaker 3: his strength and courage, from his days as a shepherd
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  Speaker 3: boy defending the flocks from wild beasts to the time
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  Speaker 3: of killing the great giant and then later protecting God's
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  Speaker 3: people from foreign aggressors as the king of the nation
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  Speaker 3: of Israel. But without that, vigor of youth, David began
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  Speaker 3: to worry that he could no longer defend God's people.
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  Speaker 3: He would have done well to remind himself of all
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  Speaker 3: the promises of God that God would keep and protect
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  Speaker 3: his people. But as insecurity began to creep in, a
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  Speaker 3: switch seemed to flip in David's mind. David wanted to
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  Speaker 3: take hold of what he had accomplished to control his kingdom.
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  Speaker 3: Chronicles tells us that Satan tempted David to take a
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  Speaker 3: census of the people. Surely the devil was not pleased
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  Speaker 3: that God's people were prospering and that David was leading
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  Speaker 3: so well, so he went on the attack. He planted
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  Speaker 3: a seed, but it was David who acted. David took
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  Speaker 3: the bait. He took the temptation and called for a count,
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  Speaker 3: a census of all the people. Once again, in disobedience
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  Speaker 3: to God's instructions. Joab, David's nephew and commander of his army,
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  Speaker 3: was troubled by the orders and counseled the king to reconsider.
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  Speaker 3: Joab seemed to know that David was motivated by fear
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  Speaker 3: and a desire to control, but unfortunately David ignored him
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  Speaker 3: and for over nine months they counted people throughout the land.
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  Speaker 3: 1.3 million souls were numbered in David's kingdom. But what
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  Speaker 3: David did to bring himself peace had the exact opposite effect.
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  Speaker 3: He is now troubled and convicted of his disobedience. I
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  Speaker 3: think all of us can relate to this. When we
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  Speaker 3: disobey God, when we don't follow God's guidance and leadership
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  Speaker 3: in our lives, we find ourselves grieved and filled with guilt.
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  Speaker 3: God gave David three choices, two that would afflict his
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  Speaker 3: people and one that would afflict him only. David chose
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  Speaker 3: the shortest punishment. three days of plagues on the people.
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  Speaker 3: It might have seemed the best choice, a wise choice,
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  Speaker 3: but there was so much selfishness in David at this point.
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  Speaker 3: He opted for his own safety, taking care of himself
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  Speaker 3: rather than seeking to protect God's people. They were punished
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  Speaker 3: for his sin. 70,000 Israelites died, and as David walked
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  Speaker 3: the streets, he saw God's judgment angel giving out punishment
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  Speaker 3: on the people, striking them with disease. He could take
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  Speaker 3: it no more and cried out to God as we
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  Speaker 3: read in 2 Chronicles 24, verse 17. Behold, I have
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  Speaker 3: sinned and I've done wickedly, but these sheep, what have
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  Speaker 3: they done? Please let your hand be against me and
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  Speaker 3: against my father's house. Once again, David, the good shepherd emerged,
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  Speaker 3: eager to save his people. It was a foreshadowing of
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  Speaker 3: something much greater, a greater king, one greater than David,
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  Speaker 3: one greater than Solomon, who would take our sins to
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  Speaker 3: a cross and die in order that he may experience
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  Speaker 3: the judgment that we deserve. This is the message of
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  Speaker 3: the Christian faith, that God redeems our suffering, that he
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  Speaker 3: saves us from our sin, not because we deserve it,
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  Speaker 3: but because of what Jesus himself has done in laying
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  Speaker 3: down his life as the full and final sacrifice for
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  Speaker 3: all that we have done in disobedience to God. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: took the wrath of God in order that we might
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  Speaker 3: experience salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. David built an altar
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  Speaker 3: to offer sacrifices to the Lord and atone for his
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  Speaker 3: sins and save Israel from God's wrath. He purchased a
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  Speaker 3: threshing floor and insisting to pay a fair price because
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  Speaker 3: he knew that a sacrifice that cost David nothing would
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  Speaker 3: not honor God. In fact, David said, God forbid that
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  Speaker 3: I would sacrifice to the Lord that which cost me nothing.
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  Speaker 3: Today's lesson reveals once again that David is very human
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  Speaker 3: and very sinful and very imperfect. But there is a
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  Speaker 3: God who is faithful, and the God of Israel, the
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  Speaker 3: God of David, The God and Father of our Lord
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ is faithful to us today, and when we
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  Speaker 3: sin and break God's commandments and repent of that sin,
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  Speaker 3: we receive God's grace. God loves you with an everlasting love.
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  Speaker 3: He will never let you go. He keeps you and
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  Speaker 3: holds you, not because of what you have done, but
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  Speaker 3: because of the work of His Son on the cross
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  Speaker 3: and by the power of His love. Dear God, thank
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  Speaker 3: you for today's scripture. A reminder that You are quick
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  Speaker 3: and eager to forgive when we repent and turn to you.
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  Speaker 3: Help us, like David, to be willing to sacrifice our
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  Speaker 3: own comfort and well-being for the sake of others. May
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  Speaker 3: we be generous in what we give to you. May
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  Speaker 3: we become living sacrifices, as you tell us in the Scripture,
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  Speaker 3: and lay our lives on the altar. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you so very much for listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. We are so very grateful for
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  Speaker 3: the millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. I'm
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  Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham. And when you download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and make it a priority in your life to listen
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  Speaker 3: to God's Word, your life truly will be changed. We
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  Speaker 3: that's jackgram.org. God bless you.