1. 2 Samuel 21 & 24 “” “The Famine & The Census & God’s Lamb”

2. 1 There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted for three years, so David asked YaHWeH about it… 2 Samuel 21:1-14

3. 13 “If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love YaHWeH your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, 14 then He will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. Deuteronomy 11:8–17 (NLT)

4. 16 “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from YaHWeH and serve and worship other gods. 17 If you do, YaHWeH’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land YaHWeH is giving you. Deuteronomy 11:8–17 (NLT)

5. 35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance. 1 Kings 8:35–36 (NASB95)

6. And YaHWeH said, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. 2 Samuel 21

7. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them… 19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by YaHWeH, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 “This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” Joshua 9:15–23 (NASB95)

8. 30 ‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death… 33 ‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34 ‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I YaHWeH am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’” Numbers 35:30–34 (NASB95)

9. (1 Samuel 18:19) 7 The king spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, who was Saul’s grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before YaHWeH. 8 But he gave them Saul’s two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah. (1 Samuel 18:19) 2 Samuel 21

10. 13 So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed. 14 Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land. 2 Samuel 21

11. “First, he ordered the bones of Saul and Jonathan brought from Jabesh-gilead and reburied in the tomb of Kish, the father of Saul. This action demonstrates that he had no personal animosity toward the house of Saul. Second, he ordered the bones of the seven recently executed descendants of Saul buried in the same tomb. Only after these men had been given a proper burial was God moved by the entreaty for the land.” James Smith

12. 1 Once again the anger of YaHWeH burned against Israel, and He caused David to harm them by taking a census. 1 Chronicles 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. 2 Samuel 24

13. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. James 1:13–14 (NKJV)

14. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (NKJV)

16. 11 Then YaHWeH said to Moses, 12 “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to YaHWeH. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them. 13 Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to YaHWeH. Exodus 30:11–13 (NLT)

17. “The principle of Exodus 30:12 speaks to God's ownership of His people. In the thinking of these ancient cultures, a man only had the right to count or number what belonged to him. Israel didn't belong to David; Israel belonged to God.” David Guzik

18. 3 Joab said, “May YaHWeH add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”… 7 God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel. 1 Chronicles 21

19. 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:8–10 (NLT)

20. for behold, he is praying 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him YaHWeH said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 So YaHWeH said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Acts 9:10–12 (NKJV)

21. 13 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of YaHWeH, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” 14 So YaHWeH sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result. 1 Chronicles 21

22. "Had he chosen war, his own personal safety was in no danger, because there was already an ordinance preventing him from going to battle. Had he chosen famine, his own wealth would have secured his and his own family's support. But he showed the greatness of his mind in choosing the pestilence, to the ravages of which himself and his household were exposed equally with the lowest of his subjects." Adam Clarke

23. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, YaHWeH relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of YaHWeH was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 1 Chronicles 21

24. 16 David looked up and saw the angel of YaHWeH standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground. 17 And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep— what have they done? 1 Chronicles 21

25. 20 Araunah, who was busy threshing wheat at the time, turned and saw the angel there. His four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid. 21 When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground. 1 Chronicles 21

26. But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to YaHWeH. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” 1 Chronicles 21:24

27. "Had Araunah's noble offer been accepted, it would have been Araunah's sacrifice, not David's; nor would it have answered the end of turning away the displeasure of the Most High." "He who has a religion that costs him nothing, has a religion that is worth nothing: nor will any man esteem the ordinances of God, if those ordinances cost him nothing." Adam Clarke

28. 25 So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of gold in payment for the threshing floor. 26 David built an altar there to YaHWeH and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, YaHWeH answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar. 27 Then YaHWeH spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath. 1 Chronicles 21

29. 28 When David saw that YaHWeH had answered his prayer, he offered sacrifices there at Araunah’s threshing floor. 29 At that time the Tabernacle of YaHWeH and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were located at the place of worship in Gibeon…22:1 Then David said, “This will be the location for the Temple of YaHWeH God and the place of the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings!” 1 Chronicles 21

30. Mount Moriah