WEBVTT - 1 Chronicles 21

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangi, and today we're in First Chronicles, chapter

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<v Speaker 1>twenty one, and we'll be reading from the message. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a

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<v Speaker 1>census of Israel. David gave orders to Joeab and the

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<v Speaker 1>army officers under him, canvass all the tribes of Israel

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<v Speaker 1>from Dan to Beersheba and get account of the population.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to know the number. Joeab resisted. May God

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<v Speaker 1>multiply his people by hundreds. Don't they all belong to

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<v Speaker 1>my master, the King? But why on earth would you

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<v Speaker 1>do a thing like this? Why risk getting Israel into

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<v Speaker 1>trouble with God? But David wouldn't take no for an answer,

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<v Speaker 1>So Joeab went off and did it. Canvassed the country

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<v Speaker 1>and then came back to Jerusalem and reported the results

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<v Speaker 1>of the census. There were one million, one hundred thousand

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<v Speaker 1>fighting men. Of that total, Judah accounted for four hundred

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<v Speaker 1>seventy thousand. Joe Ab, disgusted by the command. It in

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<v Speaker 1>fact turned his stomach, protested by leaving Levi and Benjamin

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<v Speaker 1>out of the senses, taking, and God, offended by the

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<v Speaker 1>whole thing, punished Israel. Then David prayed, I have sinned

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<v Speaker 1>badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust.

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<v Speaker 1>Forgive my sin. I've been really stupid. God answered by

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<v Speaker 1>speaking to God David's pastor, go and give David this message.

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<v Speaker 1>God's word. You have your choice of three punishments. Choose

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<v Speaker 1>one and I'll do the rest. God delivered the message

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<v Speaker 1>to David. Do you want three years of famine, three

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<v Speaker 1>months of running from your enemies while they chase you down,

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<v Speaker 1>or three days of the sword of God an epidemic

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<v Speaker 1>unleashed on the country by an angel of God. Think

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<v Speaker 1>it over and make up your mind. What shall I

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<v Speaker 1>tell the one who sent me? David told God, they're

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<v Speaker 1>all terrible, but I'd rather be punished by God, whose

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<v Speaker 1>mercy is great, than fall into human hands. So God

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<v Speaker 1>unleashed an epidemic in Israel. Seventy thousand Israelites died. God

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<v Speaker 1>then sent the angel to Jerusalem, but when he saw

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<v Speaker 1>the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind

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<v Speaker 1>and ordered the death Angel. Enough's enough, pull back. The

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<v Speaker 1>Angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of

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<v Speaker 1>Aruna the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel

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<v Speaker 1>hovering between earth and sky. Soared drawn and about to

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<v Speaker 1>strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and

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<v Speaker 1>covered themselves with rough burlap. David prayed, Please, I'm the

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<v Speaker 1>one who sinned. I'm the one at fault. But these sheep,

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<v Speaker 1>what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, Me

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<v Speaker 1>and my family. Don't take it out on them. The

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<v Speaker 1>Angel of God ordered Gad to tell David to go

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<v Speaker 1>and build and alter to God on the threshing floor

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<v Speaker 1>of Aruna the Jebusite. David did what God told him

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<v Speaker 1>in obedience to God's command. Meanwhile, Aruna had quit threshing

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<v Speaker 1>the wheat and was watching the angel. His four sons

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<v Speaker 1>took cover and hid. David came up to Aruna. When

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<v Speaker 1>Aruna saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed

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<v Speaker 1>deeply before David. Honoring the king, David said to Aruna,

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<v Speaker 1>give me the sight of the threshing floor so I

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<v Speaker 1>can build an alter to God. Charge me the market

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<v Speaker 1>price We're going to put an end to this disaster.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh Master, my King said Aruna, just take it, do

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<v Speaker 1>whatever you want with it. Look, here's an ox for

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<v Speaker 1>the burnt offering, and threshing paddles for the fuel, and

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<v Speaker 1>wheat for the meal offering. It's all yours. David replied

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<v Speaker 1>to Aruna. No, I'm buying it from you, and at

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<v Speaker 1>the full market price. I'm not going to offer God's

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<v Speaker 1>sacrifices that are no sacrifice. So David bought the place

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<v Speaker 1>from Aruna for six hundred shekels of gold. He built

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<v Speaker 1>an altar to God there and sacrificed whole burnt offerings

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<v Speaker 1>and peace offerings. He called out to God, and God

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<v Speaker 1>answered by striking the altar of hole burnt offering with lightning.

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<v Speaker 1>Then God told the angel to pull his sword back

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<v Speaker 1>into its scabbard. And that's the story of what happened

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<v Speaker 1>when David saw that God answered him on the threshing

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<v Speaker 1>floor of Aaruna, the Jebu site at the time he

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<v Speaker 1>offered the sacrifice. At this time, the tabernacle that Moses

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<v Speaker 1>had constructed in the desert and with it the altar

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<v Speaker 1>of burnt offering were set up at the worship center

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<v Speaker 1>at Gibeon, but David, terrified by the angel's sword, wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>go there. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word,

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<v Speaker 1>and we thank you for the privilege of being able

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<v Speaker 1>to look at it together today. And Lord, as we

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<v Speaker 1>look at this portion of scripture, we see this difference

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<v Speaker 1>between walking by faith and walking by sight. And Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>you tell us elsewhere in your words, specifically in the

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<v Speaker 1>Book of Hebrews, that the only way to please you

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<v Speaker 1>is by faith. And here David, instead of walking in

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<v Speaker 1>the trust that you had inspired his heart to walk in,

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<v Speaker 1>he chose to walk by sight. He wanted to number

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<v Speaker 1>the people and count on the strength of human hands,

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<v Speaker 1>instead of relying on you to per vibe for and

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<v Speaker 1>protect and defend the people of Israel. Lord, we thank

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<v Speaker 1>you that you inspired within his heart repentance, and we

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<v Speaker 1>likewise thank you that David was able to recognize that

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<v Speaker 1>your character is one of perfect justice but also perfect mercy,

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<v Speaker 1>and so he sought your mercy in the midst of

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<v Speaker 1>his foolishness. Lord, we know that it can be very

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<v Speaker 1>easy for us in our specific context as well, to

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<v Speaker 1>try and walk by sight, to try and count things

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<v Speaker 1>that we shouldn't be counting to try and rely on

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<v Speaker 1>the things that this world looks to for sustenance and

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<v Speaker 1>strength instead of trusting in You to be our sufficient

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<v Speaker 1>Lord and savior. But Lord, you remind us time and

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<v Speaker 1>time again in your word that if we have Jesus Christ,

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<v Speaker 1>your son is our Savior, we have all that we

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<v Speaker 1>truly need in this world. So Lord, we're grateful for

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<v Speaker 1>that reality. We're grateful for your presence with us, and

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<v Speaker 1>we pray that all throughout the course of this day

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<v Speaker 1>and every day, that we would trust that you are

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<v Speaker 1>sufficient for all that we need. We thank you Lord

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<v Speaker 1>for all these things. We thank you for your mercy

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<v Speaker 1>and for your presence with us, and we pray this

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<v Speaker 1>all in Jesus' name. Amen.