David's Final Years Series

March 21, 2026

Last week was grim. We learned that forgiveness and judgment can exist at the same time and that sometimes God’s judgment is not intervening, instead allowing the harvest of the choices we make. That is a lot for sinful humans to take on board. We want to do what we want to do – but we don’t want any negatives that may come as a result.

We also learned that sin changes people. The David after Bathsheba was a very different man from the David before Bathsheba and that reality prolonged and intensified the judgment he, his family and the nation experienced.

Turning our attention now to the final chapters of 2nd Samuel and 1st Chronicles, we encounter the 1st of 2 calamities to strike Israel during David’s reign, although the timing of both is uncertain. So, it is important to note that the following is topical rather than chronological.

The 1st – 3 years of famine – was a judgment against Israel for the actions of Saul in his attempt to exterminate the Gibeonites – which violated the covenant made between Gibeon and Joshua early in the conquest (see Joshua 9).

Interestingly, this violation is not mentioned anywhere and it is unclear why Saul would try to exterminate this group of people.

Seeking to make atonement, David went to the Gibeonites. He offered them money, but, instead, they sought justice by asking that 7 of Saul’s descendants be executed (see Numbers 35:33-34). It does not appear that David consulted God, he just took the 2 sons of Saul’s concubine, Rizpah, and the 5 sons of Saul’s daughter, Merab, and gave them to the Gibeonites.

However, the famine continued until after these men were given an honorable burial. They were buried in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, along with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, which were reburied there. Only then did the famine end.

Some scholars interpret this as a sign that God was displeased with David’s actions.

Some scholars also propose that this execution was the reason why Shimei accused David of bloodshed.

2 Samuel 21:15-22 is a repeat of the battles between Israel and the Philistines that we covered 2 weeks ago in 1st Chronicles 20, but it includes an extra detail not previously revealed: While David was fighting the Philistines, he became exhausted and was in real danger of being killed by Ishvi-Benob, a descendant of the Rapha. Abishai came to David’s rescue and Ishvi-Benob died instead. At that point David’s men swore that he would never go into battle again. This declaration, provides us with a plausible reason why David was in Jerusalem, “in the spring when all kings go off to war.”

• 2nd Samuel 22 records the song David sang when Yahweh delivered him from Saul and all his enemies (also Psalm 18).

• 2nd Samuel 23 records the final words of David.

The 2nd calamity was the result of David’s decision to take a census to determine Israel’s fighting strength.

In the original (1st Chronicles), it was an unidentified “enemy” that incited David, not “the enemy”, which most interpret as meaning Satan. It is possible that David’s decision was in response to an external military threat.

Joab strongly objected, cautioning David that what he was doing was wicked – he was overruled.

The census took 9 months and 20 days and here are the numbers Joab reported to David:

• 2nd Samuel = 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah

• 1st Chronicles = 1,100,000 in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. However, Joab did not count the men from Levi or Bemjamin because the king’s command “repulsed him.” (see reference to this event in 1 Chronicles 27:23-24)

Apparently, the census was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

On the surface this might confuse us because Yahweh had ordered the taking of a census on 2 prior occasions – so why view David’s act as one of wickedness?

Because God had not authorized this census and to call for it demonstrated just where David placed his confidence.

The young man, who had boldly said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of El Shaddai, the God of the armies of Israel,” and then had picked up 5 rocks to face a fully kit-ed out giant, had become the king whose pride, ambition and self-confidence drove him to take a census that would prove just how strong and prosperous Israel was – with or without God.

David’s conscience finally kicked in and he realized his sin.

This was David’s one redeeming quality – his willingness to confess his sins and his genuine sorrow and repentance.

Here again we see that forgiveness can co-exist with judgment.

I would suggest that if you are ever tempted to justify yourself by saying, “what I am doing isn’t hurting anyone,” to think of this story.