Saturday, August 26, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
2 Samuel 24:1–2, 10–25

Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know how many there are.”

But afterward, David was stricken to the heart because he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.” When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, “Go and say to David: Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.” So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall three years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into human hands.” So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil, and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I alone have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him; and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.” But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. (NRSV)

Reflection
At first glance, the circumstance surrounding this story is a head-scratcher. What’s the big deal about a census? (By the way, Fourth Church members, please don’t forget to fill out yours!) In this case, it seems as though God commanded it, but in 1 Chronicles 21, we get another telling of this story in which the Tempter enjoins David to take the census. A census is not, however, a harmless request. Rather than counting the Israelites in order to distribute much-needed resources, it is essentially a power play to extract them. With a census, David can tax and recruit soldiers for his army.

There is an overarching theme to David’s actions: self-preservation. And that concept should be a familiar one to us. Self-preservation is that human quality that gives us courage in moments of mortal danger. It motivates us to action in the midst of disaster. It also has a shadow side. It can cause us to turn in on ourselves, shutting out anyone who we feel may threaten our life, our identity, our ambitions, or our comfort. As a consequence, self-preservation can lead us to lash out, to wound others, and to leave suffering in our wake.

When we see David’s self-preservationist approach to this census unfold, it is full of guile, making him look less than genuine when he initially throws himself before the mercy of God. To his credit, he does not evade his guilt. But when, in the style of the genie in the bottle, the three forms of punishment are laid before him, David chooses the one that does the least damage to him personally. “Let not me fall into human hands,” he says.

Please don’t let my enemies and rivals overtake me. His evasion unleashes a disease that costs the lives of 70,000 of his people. And though God calls off the destruction of Jerusalem, there is no indication that David is aware of this change of heart when he sees the angel on the threshing floor. Then in a flash, self-preservation shifts to community care. David has seen enough. No longer will he sacrifice others on the altar of his self.

So, David closes this episode by buying the threshing floor of Araunah to build an altar to provide an offering of repentance. Yes, this will finally cost him something he cannot defer to others. David finally understands what leadership truly is. In our own lives, can we do the same?

Prayer
God of love, you ask that I give my heart to you and to my neighbor. You show the way for me and for all whom Holy God, lead me from fearful self-preservation to liberating self-giving. Help me better care for all who bear your image. Amen.

Written by Joe Morrow, Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Community Engagement

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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