From Failure To Forgiveness

From Failure to Forgiveness

1Chr 21

There are certain decisions that we make in life that become hinge points on which the rest of our lives turn. Key decisions we’ve made that not only change the course of our lives but may also have great effect on the lives of others as well. And this is what we read about in 1Chronicles 21, where David made a seemingly insignificant decision that was really a critical error, and it impacted the whole nation of Israel. You could say that it was a failure of epic proportions but how David responded changed the course of history.

It changed the course of history because this story isn’t just about a bad decision, but also about how he responded once he realized what he had done, and how God changed epic failure into forgiveness and victory.

Now, something that is true of humanity is that we will fail. We will sin. But what we do once we are faced with our sin is vitally important. It can make or break us. It’s been said that “It’s not how you begin that’s important. What’s important is how you end.” You will fail. That is a sure statement. But what’s most important in failure is how you deal with it. Will you wallow in failure, or will you learn from it, and rise above it?

What you do after failure, after sin can determine the whole course of the rest of your life. Because if you repent and turn to the Lord, He can and will transform your failure into forgiveness. But if you stay the course, double-down on your sin instead, then you will experience the consequences of your pride and arrogance.

Now all of this leads into our story today. We don’t know exactly when the events of chapter 21 happened, but we do know that it was sometime after David’s sin with Bathsheba and the conquering and total destruction of the Ammonite people, and other wars with the Philistines and Gath and the killing of the rest of the giants: Sippai, Lahmi, who was Goliath’s brother, and a 3rd one that’s only described as “a man of great stature” who had 6 fingers and 6 toes on each of his hands and feet.

Sometime after these events, we have the story of chapter 21. It’s supposed that at this time, David is older. He has been king of Israel for many years and now he was surrounded by peace. Another indication that David is old is the fact that our chapter in 1Chronicles today is almost immediately followed by Solomon’s rise to power. The same is true in the parallel account that’s given in 2Samuel where this same story is in chapter 24 of 2Samuel, which is immediately followed by David’s demise and Solomon’s rise in the 1st chapter of 1Kings. So, it’s a good bet that this was toward David’s waning years. After years of fighting wars and putting down rebellions, David and Israel are at ease. And guess who shows up when we have ended our battles and are at peace and rest?

I. Temptation and Sin

1Ch 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

Then Satan… You know, when you think everything’s done and now you can rest, that ol’ wily slimy serpent sticks his ugly head up and messes with your peace—he takes advantage of your ease. The last time David was taking a break, the last time he was at ease, he stayed behind in Jerusalem while the warriors were fighting a siege war against Ammon. After he strolled out onto his roof top, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life smacked David upside the head once he laid eyes on Bathsheba taking a bath on a nearby roof top.

And now, here he is again. Peace on all sides. He’s at ease and probably wondering, “What now?” And Satan stood up and answered him. He moved David to take a census of Israel. Now, taking a census itself isn’t the wrong thing to do if it’s needful. In the book of Numbers, God specifically told Moses to Num 1:2b "Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel,

A census was usually taken in order to assess military strength or for the collection of taxes. Jesus spoke of this in one of his parables when he said Luk 14:31 "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

But in Israel, numbering the people without God’s direction was considered an act of pride and self-reliance, implying trust in human resources rather than divine provision. Israel was at peace, so David had no need to get a number of his fighting men. So, if David was taking a census in a time of peace, then apparently a time of war was coming, or at least his people might think this. This knowledge would have set the people on edge because friend, war strikes fear in the heart of a nation.