Let us pray, And the king said to Arauna, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord, my god, of that which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver, Second Samuel twenty four, twenty four. Dear Lord, when the abundance of your goodness is apparent and on display in my life, I will make sure that insecurities won't lead me into thinking that all I have will be preserved by my own methods and tactics. As you increase the works of my hands, Lord, help me not to see those you've called me to lead as commodities and not sheep you've called me to honor, protect, and shepherd. I declare that you are my sustaining force and the lifter of my head. Keep me from experiencing loss and defeat as David did. I will instead look to you and your power to cover my weak areas when I feel insecure and inadequate. Thank you for reminding me that my life is about serving and helping others. As I grow to become more like you in Jesus Name Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com. Taking account of the People. In our last story, we witnessed the continued bravery of David, even into old age. He continued to wage war against all who would in the flock of God. As a result, David became weary, it did not lose hope in the Lord of his salvation. In this story, we witness an odd change in the character of David as he takes a census over the people in order to maintain control and wealth for the nation. Inspired by Second Samuel and First Chronicles. Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we learned how David made right on a wrong done by his predecessor Saul to the gibbeon Ice, and how God blessed his righteous actions with prosperity for Israel. The Philistines once again attacked, wanting to plunder Israel's wealth, but David's army was strong, well trained, and courageous, just as their leader David David now is in his older years, and he had built a legacy, a life of courage and conviction and commitment that glorified God and blessed the people of God. So today we'll hear how David actually allowed some insecurity, in and a sense of ownership of the people, causing him to seek to control God's people by taking a census. Though he was warned by his friend and commander Joe Ebb, David pushes forward. And as always when we disobey God, there is a price to pay for his actions, and David will be faced with a very tough decision. What will he choose? Let's find out on today's reading. David arose early in the morning. His bones creaked as he lifted himself out of his bed. His muscles were sore and every step revealed, and no part of his body that ached. David's youth was waning. Decades of battle had aged him rapidly. His once muscular and chiseled frame felt as if it had been slightly eroded by the sea. David washed his face and gazed into the mirror. His beard was becoming gray, and the light in his eyes seemed to be dimming. David realized that he was no longer the young warrior who defeated Goliath. He was older and less capable of defending Israel with his sword. In light of this new insecurity, David decided to take a census of the nation to measure the vastness in Israel. He took great pride in the work he had done as king. Therefore, he desired to measure his success by accounting the people in his armies. He also wanted to gage how vulnerable Israel might be to outside attack. David gathered Joab and said, we will take a census of all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. We will know just how many people are within our borders. Joab winced at David's orders. He knew that the census was a means to control people. The Law of Moses clearly stated that a man only had the right to count what belonged to him. Israel belonged to God, not David. Joab knew this and spoke up to David, saying, you know I love you King. It is my prayer that God blesses you a hundredfold. But Why would you do this to the people? It would cause unrest and discomfort. David ignored Joab's complaints. He was solely focused on fortifying what he had built. He sent out all of his commanders to comb the country to count all of the people. Nine months had passed and David's men had disrupted every city, town, and farm and Israel to count its members. Joab returned from his nine months journey and handed the records to David. Joab's eyes scanned David's demeanor as he read the results of the senses. There was only one thing David truly cared about in the nation of Israel. There were one point three million capable men able to fight. With this. David put down the report and went to bed. That night, David tossed and turned in his bed. David's delicate conscience began to stir within him. Imagined all of the people of Israel being rounded up like cattle to be counted. He pictured the humiliated look on men's faces when soldiers entered their homes. He sat up from his bed and took a deep breath. He covered his face with his hands and began to weep. What have I done? He whispered. David got up from his bed and grabbed his heart. He sat on his balcony and strummed. It soothed him. He prayed for the Lord for a while and began to weep again. Lord, forgive me, forgive my guilt. I have been so foolish. The next morning, a prophet in the land named Gad sat in the halls of David, waiting for him. David walked around the corner to find Gads sitting and waiting. He knew why Gad was there and had no need to ask. Gad arose from his seat and beckoned to David to walk with him. Together they strode the courtyards of David's home, and Gad spoke clearly to David, saying, you must choose from three punishments from God. Only one of the three will be inflicted upon you. David gulped and nodded for God to continue. Three years of famine, hunger and strife, three months of fleeing your enemies in fear for your life, three days of severe plague on the land. These are your choices. David held his breath for a long moment. His heart began to race, sweat, dripped down his brow. Every option seemed too much to bear. I am in a desperate situation. David yelled. His lower lip began to tremble, but he regained his composure and said, I would rather us fall into the hands of the Lord than the hands of man, so I choose the plague. David's logic seemed to be sound. He chose three days of a plague than three years of hunger. However, he also chose the harm of people over the harm of himself. In the first part of that week, seventy thousand Israelites died of intense sickness. David was the streets with horror as people were crying out in pain. The anguished cries filled David's ears and he could hardly bear it. In an emotional daze, David caught a glimpse of something passing through the streets, hovering over the sick and dying David's an angel of the Lord administering the punishment due to Israel because of David. Immediately, David fell to his knees and prayed to God, Lord, I am the one who has sinned. David beat his chest. These people are innocent, sheep. They have done nothing. Let your anger fall on me and my family. Do not harm them anymore. Finally, David understood he had lost his shepherd's heart. In doing the senses, David had acted as a tyrant king instead of a loving shepherd. The very reason David was chosen as king in the first place was that he would willingly lay down his life for the protection and joy of his people. Yet in the past few years, David had lived his life solely for his own safety and security. David arose from his knees and went back to the center of Jerusalem. David sacrificed much of his personal wealth to build an altar for the Lord in the center of Jerusalem. There he made sacrifices to God on behalf of himself and all the people of Israel. He wept, he worshiped, and he prayed for the preservation of his sheep. God answered, and there was a restoration in the land of Israel, unlike any has ever seen. As we began today's passage, David is feeling the toll of his years. He has fought many battles, and his body reminds him that he's not a young warrior anymore. So much of his identity has been wrapped up in his strength and courage, from his days as a shepherd boy defending the flocks from wild beasts, to the time of killing the Great Giant, and then later protecting God's people from foreign aggressors as the king of the nation of Israel. But without that that vigor of youth, David began to worry that he could no longer defend God's people. He would have done well to remind himself of all the promises of God that God would keep and protect his people. But as insecurity began to creep in, a switch seemed to flip in David's mind. David wanted to take hold of what he had accomplished to control his kingdom. Chronicles tells us that Satan tempted David to take a census of the people. Surely, the devil was not pleased that God's people were prospering and that David was leading so well, so he went on the attack. He planted a seat, but it was David who acted. David took debate. He took the temptation and called for a count, a census of all the people, once again in disobedience to God's instructions. Joe Ebb, David's nephew and commander of his army, was troubled by the orders and counseled the king to reconsider. Had seemed to know that David was motivated by fear and a desire to control, but unfortunately David ignored him, and for over nine months they counted people throughout the land. One point three million souls were numbered in David's kingdom. But what David did to bring himself peace had the exact opposite effect. He is now troubled and convicted of his disobedience. I think all of us can relate to this. When we disobey God, when we don't follow God's guidance and leadership in our lives, we find ourselves grieved and filled with guilt. God gave David three choices, two that would afflict his people in one that would afflict him. Only David chose the shortest punishment, three days of plagues on the people. It might have seen the best choice, a wise choice, but there was so much selfishness in David at this point. He opted for his own safety, taking care of himself, rather than seeking to protect God's people. They were punished for his sin. Seventy thousand Israelites died, and as David walked the streets, he saw God's judgment angel giving out punishment on the people, striking them with disease. He could take it no more and cried out to God, as we read in Second Chronicles twenty four, verse seventeen, behold, I have sinned, and I've done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house. Once again, David the good Shepherd emerged, eager to save his people. It was a foreshadowing of something much greater, a greater king, one greater than David, won greater than Solomon, who would take our sins to a cross and die in order that he may experience the judgment that we deserved. This is the message of the Christian faith that God redeems our suffering, that he saves us from our sin, not because we deserve it, but because of what Jesus himself has done in laying down his life as the full and final sacrifice for all that we have done in disobedience to God. Jesus took the wrath of God in order that we might experience salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. David built an altar to offer sacrifices to the Lord and atone for his sins and save Israel from God's wrath. He purchased a threshing floor, insisting to pay a fair price because he knew that a sacrifice that costs David nothing would not honor God. In fact, David said, God forbid that I would sacrifice to the Lord that which costs me nothing. Today's lesson reveals once again that David is very human, and very sinful, and very imperfect. But there is a God who is faithful, and the God of Israel, the God of David, the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is faithful to us today. And when we sin and break God's commandments and repent of that sin, we receive God's grace. God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never let you go. He keeps you and holds you not because of what you have done, but because of the work of His son on the cross and by the power of his love. Dear God, thank you for today's scripture a reminder that you are quick and eager to forgive when we repent and turn to you. Help us, like David, to be willing to sacrifice our own comfort and well being for the sake of others. May we be generous in what we give to you. May we become living sacrifices as you tell us in the scripture, and lay our lives on the altar in Jesus's name. Amen. Thank you so very much for listening to Today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are so very grateful for the millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham, and when you download the Prey dot com app and make it a priority in your life to listen to God's word, your life truly will be changed. We are hearing reports from so many of the power of God's Word in their lives. So let me encourage you to pass this podcast onto others, to share it with someone you know, someone you care about, because the Word of God truly will change lives. And if you want more resources on how to experience God's power in your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. We would love to connect with you and for you to connect with us again. That's Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. This episode is sponsored by Medicine, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. E

Let us pray, And the king said to Arauna, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord, my god, of that which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver, Second Samuel twenty four, twenty four. Dear Lord, when the abundance of your goodness is apparent and on display in my life, I will make sure that insecurities won't lead me into thinking that all I have will be preserved by my own methods and tactics. As you increase the works of my hands, Lord, help me not to see those you've called me to lead as commodities and not sheep you've called me to honor, protect, and shepherd. I declare that you are my sustaining force and the lifter of my head. Keep me from experiencing loss and defeat as David did. I will instead look to you and your power to cover my weak areas when I feel insecure and inadequate. Thank you for reminding me that my life is about serving and helping others. As I grow to become more like you in Jesus Name Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com. Taking account of the People. In our last story, we witnessed the continued bravery of David, even into old age. He continued to wage war against all who would in the flock of God. As a result, David became weary, it did not lose hope in the Lord of his salvation. In this story, we witness an odd change in the character of David as he takes a census over the people in order to maintain control and wealth for the nation. Inspired by Second Samuel and First Chronicles. Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we learned how David made right on a wrong done by his predecessor Saul to the gibbeon Ice, and how God blessed his righteous actions with prosperity for Israel. The Philistines once again attacked, wanting to plunder Israel's wealth, but David's army was strong, well trained, and courageous, just as their leader David David now is in his older years, and he had built a legacy, a life of courage and conviction and commitment that glorified God and blessed the people of God. So today we'll hear how David actually allowed some insecurity, in and a sense of ownership of the people, causing him to seek to control God's people by taking a census. Though he was warned by his friend and commander Joe Ebb, David pushes forward. And as always when we disobey God, there is a price to pay for his actions, and David will be faced with a very tough decision. What will he choose? Let's find out on today's reading. David arose early in the morning. His bones creaked as he lifted himself out of his bed. His muscles were sore and every step revealed, and no part of his body that ached. David's youth was waning. Decades of battle had aged him rapidly. His once muscular and chiseled frame felt as if it had been slightly eroded by the sea. David washed his face and gazed into the mirror. His beard was becoming gray, and the light in his eyes seemed to be dimming. David realized that he was no longer the young warrior who defeated Goliath. He was older and less capable of defending Israel with his sword. In light of this new insecurity, David decided to take a census of the nation to measure the vastness in Israel. He took great pride in the work he had done as king. Therefore, he desired to measure his success by accounting the people in his armies. He also wanted to gage how vulnerable Israel might be to outside attack. David gathered Joab and said, we will take a census of all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. We will know just how many people are within our borders. Joab winced at David's orders. He knew that the census was a means to control people. The Law of Moses clearly stated that a man only had the right to count what belonged to him. Israel belonged to God, not David. Joab knew this and spoke up to David, saying, you know I love you King. It is my prayer that God blesses you a hundredfold. But Why would you do this to the people? It would cause unrest and discomfort. David ignored Joab's complaints. He was solely focused on fortifying what he had built. He sent out all of his commanders to comb the country to count all of the people. Nine months had passed and David's men had disrupted every city, town, and farm and Israel to count its members. Joab returned from his nine months journey and handed the records to David. Joab's eyes scanned David's demeanor as he read the results of the senses. There was only one thing David truly cared about in the nation of Israel. There were one point three million capable men able to fight. With this. David put down the report and went to bed. That night, David tossed and turned in his bed. David's delicate conscience began to stir within him. Imagined all of the people of Israel being rounded up like cattle to be counted. He pictured the humiliated look on men's faces when soldiers entered their homes. He sat up from his bed and took a deep breath. He covered his face with his hands and began to weep. What have I done? He whispered. David got up from his bed and grabbed his heart. He sat on his balcony and strummed. It soothed him. He prayed for the Lord for a while and began to weep again. Lord, forgive me, forgive my guilt. I have been so foolish. The next morning, a prophet in the land named Gad sat in the halls of David, waiting for him. David walked around the corner to find Gads sitting and waiting. He knew why Gad was there and had no need to ask. Gad arose from his seat and beckoned to David to walk with him. Together they strode the courtyards of David's home, and Gad spoke clearly to David, saying, you must choose from three punishments from God. Only one of the three will be inflicted upon you. David gulped and nodded for God to continue. Three years of famine, hunger and strife, three months of fleeing your enemies in fear for your life, three days of severe plague on the land. These are your choices. David held his breath for a long moment. His heart began to race, sweat, dripped down his brow. Every option seemed too much to bear. I am in a desperate situation. David yelled. His lower lip began to tremble, but he regained his composure and said, I would rather us fall into the hands of the Lord than the hands of man, so I choose the plague. David's logic seemed to be sound. He chose three days of a plague than three years of hunger. However, he also chose the harm of people over the harm of himself. In the first part of that week, seventy thousand Israelites died of intense sickness. David was the streets with horror as people were crying out in pain. The anguished cries filled David's ears and he could hardly bear it. In an emotional daze, David caught a glimpse of something passing through the streets, hovering over the sick and dying David's an angel of the Lord administering the punishment due to Israel because of David. Immediately, David fell to his knees and prayed to God, Lord, I am the one who has sinned. David beat his chest. These people are innocent, sheep. They have done nothing. Let your anger fall on me and my family. Do not harm them anymore. Finally, David understood he had lost his shepherd's heart. In doing the senses, David had acted as a tyrant king instead of a loving shepherd. The very reason David was chosen as king in the first place was that he would willingly lay down his life for the protection and joy of his people. Yet in the past few years, David had lived his life solely for his own safety and security. David arose from his knees and went back to the center of Jerusalem. David sacrificed much of his personal wealth to build an altar for the Lord in the center of Jerusalem. There he made sacrifices to God on behalf of himself and all the people of Israel. He wept, he worshiped, and he prayed for the preservation of his sheep. God answered, and there was a restoration in the land of Israel, unlike any has ever seen. As we began today's passage, David is feeling the toll of his years. He has fought many battles, and his body reminds him that he's not a young warrior anymore. So much of his identity has been wrapped up in his strength and courage, from his days as a shepherd boy defending the flocks from wild beasts, to the time of killing the Great Giant, and then later protecting God's people from foreign aggressors as the king of the nation of Israel. But without that that vigor of youth, David began to worry that he could no longer defend God's people. He would have done well to remind himself of all the promises of God that God would keep and protect his people. But as insecurity began to creep in, a switch seemed to flip in David's mind. David wanted to take hold of what he had accomplished to control his kingdom. Chronicles tells us that Satan tempted David to take a census of the people. Surely, the devil was not pleased that God's people were prospering and that David was leading so well, so he went on the attack. He planted a seat, but it was David who acted. David took debate. He took the temptation and called for a count, a census of all the people, once again in disobedience to God's instructions. Joe Ebb, David's nephew and commander of his army, was troubled by the orders and counseled the king to reconsider. Had seemed to know that David was motivated by fear and a desire to control, but unfortunately David ignored him, and for over nine months they counted people throughout the land. One point three million souls were numbered in David's kingdom. But what David did to bring himself peace had the exact opposite effect. He is now troubled and convicted of his disobedience. I think all of us can relate to this. When we disobey God, when we don't follow God's guidance and leadership in our lives, we find ourselves grieved and filled with guilt. God gave David three choices, two that would afflict his people in one that would afflict him. Only David chose the shortest punishment, three days of plagues on the people. It might have seen the best choice, a wise choice, but there was so much selfishness in David at this point. He opted for his own safety, taking care of himself, rather than seeking to protect God's people. They were punished for his sin. Seventy thousand Israelites died, and as David walked the streets, he saw God's judgment angel giving out punishment on the people, striking them with disease. He could take it no more and cried out to God, as we read in Second Chronicles twenty four, verse seventeen, behold, I have sinned, and I've done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house. Once again, David the good Shepherd emerged, eager to save his people. It was a foreshadowing of something much greater, a greater king, one greater than David, won greater than Solomon, who would take our sins to a cross and die in order that he may experience the judgment that we deserved. This is the message of the Christian faith that God redeems our suffering, that he saves us from our sin, not because we deserve it, but because of what Jesus himself has done in laying down his life as the full and final sacrifice for all that we have done in disobedience to God. Jesus took the wrath of God in order that we might experience salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. David built an altar to offer sacrifices to the Lord and atone for his sins and save Israel from God's wrath. He purchased a threshing floor, insisting to pay a fair price because he knew that a sacrifice that costs David nothing would not honor God. In fact, David said, God forbid that I would sacrifice to the Lord that which costs me nothing. Today's lesson reveals once again that David is very human, and very sinful, and very imperfect. But there is a God who is faithful, and the God of Israel, the God of David, the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is faithful to us today. And when we sin and break God's commandments and repent of that sin, we receive God's grace. God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never let you go. He keeps you and holds you not because of what you have done, but because of the work of His son on the cross and by the power of his love. Dear God, thank you for today's scripture a reminder that you are quick and eager to forgive when we repent and turn to you. Help us, like David, to be willing to sacrifice our own comfort and well being for the sake of others. May we be generous in what we give to you. May we become living sacrifices as you tell us in the scripture, and lay our lives on the altar in Jesus's name. Amen. Thank you so very much for listening to Today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are so very grateful for the millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham, and when you download the Prey dot com app and make it a priority in your life to listen to God's word, your life truly will be changed. We are hearing reports from so many of the power of God's Word in their lives. So let me encourage you to pass this podcast onto others, to share it with someone you know, someone you care about, because the Word of God truly will change lives. And if you want more resources on how to experience God's power in your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. We would love to connect with you and for you to connect with us again. That's Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. This episode is sponsored by Medicine, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. E