2 Sam. 23-24
In David’s final words, he says, “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.” (2 Sam 23:2) – how true this is! David’s Psalms contain so many of the prophecies regarding Jesus.
Ahhh…the census…I have always had trouble understanding this incident. I did stumble on a clue back in Exodus 30:11-12. In that passage, God told Moses that every man numbered in a census must give a ransom for himself to the LORD so that there would be no plague among them when they were numbered. It seems that numbering God’s people was not something to be taken lightly. And it was likely not something that should have been done outside of the command of God.
What could David’s motives have been for initiating a census on his own? Perhaps pride, to see the size of his army. Or perhaps a lack of trust in God, taking security in the numbers rather than in God’s promises. Maybe David was after the money, though I doubt he would have been collecting for himself. If he was collecting on God’s behalf, this still isn’t something he should have done on his own. So David’s sin could be because he didn’t follow God’s laws in collecting the ransom and not counting the Levites and such, or it could have been in his motives, since there wasn’t really a good reason for calling for a census outside of God’s command. They were God’s people, not David’s, so they were not David’s to count.
Another interesting thing to note is that it seems God was angry at Israel for something,. So maybe there was something in what Israel was (or wasn’t) doing that moved David to make this decision. It doesn’t seem likely that he arbitrarily decided to count the people one day. Perhaps it was the people who were not trusting God, and David sought to reassure them with the numbers rather than encouraging them with his own trust in God. Hard to say but, as with most things in the Bible, it is important to look beyond the action to the motives and attitudes behind it.
John 6:41-71
Eat His flesh and drink His blood – a little morbid sounding. But I wonder if this is a metaphor for how we must internalize God’s Truth, who is Jesus Christ. When we consume something, it becomes a part of us, nourishing our very cells. That is why they say that you are what you eat. It is not enough to keep Jesus on your dinner plate – He will do you no good there! Take Him in, digest Him, and He will become a part of your very being. And, as He says, “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (Jn 6:58)
Perhaps this even goes back to those who believed on His name but to whom He did not entrust Himself. It could be that theirs was an external belief and they never really internalized Him so that they became a part of each other.