King David's Sin of Taking a Census 510-2 - 16 - 6

The taking of a national census is appropriate when God orders it. The operative word is that God ordered it, two examples include:

"Exodus 30:11-16. The Redemption Money (30:11-16)

God ordered every male Israelite twenty years old and above to pay half a shekel as a ransom for himself. This payment, the same for rich and poor, was levied whenever there was a census and was used to finance the service of the tabernacle. It guaranteed protection against plague (v. 12). At the outset it was used to make silver sockets to support the boards of the tabernacle. Silver speaks of redemption, which is the foundation of our faith. Redemption is needed by all and is available to all on the same terms.

Numbers 1:2, 3 The people of Israel were soon to begin their journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land. It was essential that they be arranged as orderly marching armies, and for this purpose God commanded that a census should be taken. The census would include all men twenty years old and above—all who were able to go to war."

[Believer's Bible Commentary]

King David was not without fault and committed sins both of the flash and pride. The sin of pride in taking a census was not without consequences for his people. David’s immediate purpose likely was to assess his military strength, also, one of pride. The census suggested that King David was relying more on military capabilities than on God’s power. Not only was David taking pride in the numbers, he was trusting numbers instead of trusting God.

After the census was finished, King David was convicted of his sin and he cried out to God for forgiveness. God sent the prophet Gad to him, offering any one of three punishments:

1. Seven years of famine in the land

2. Three months of pursuit by his enemies

3. Three days of pestilence or plague.

King David chose the third punishment so as "to fall into the hand of the LORD, and not into man's."

Earlier examples of men of God having faith in His provision include:

Judges 7:5-6, "5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink." 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water."

God reduced Gideon’s force to 300 men. Gideon had faith and the victory was his.

In 1 Samuel 14 Jonathan slipped away with his Armor bearer to attack the Philistines. Jonathan had faith in God to provide a great victory. 1 Samuel 14:6, "And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few."

Jonathan’s action resulted in a great victory. Meanwhile his father, King Saul, made a foolish vow that almost cost Jonathan his life. No good deed ever goes unpunished? However, King Saul’s men protected Jonathan.

King David and his son Absalom and the Throne 510-2 - 15 - 1

How very painful it must have been for King David to engage his son Absalom in a battle for the throne of Israel. I would imagine that he would be very conflicted as the king loved his son and had full knowledge that he, King David, had caused the dysfunctionality in his family by his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah.

2 Samuel 12:9-10, "9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife."

And the sword never departed from King David’s house. Incest, murder, power struggle, fratricide and more. Earlier there was a strained relationship between King David and his son Abalone due to the seemingly indifference of King David to the rape and rejection of Abalone's sister Tamar by her half-brother Amnon. It was two years before Abalone avenged his sister by orchestrating the murder of Amnon. Abalone fled only to return to court later. Abalone plotted with the grandfather of Bathsheba to capture the throne from his father. A dysfunctional family, absolutely.

Just as King David had to flee from King Saul, he felt the need to flee his son Absalom rather than exposing Jerusalem to a Siege as well as he was not certain how firmly entrenched were the loyalties of his people. That said, all the time that King Saul sought to kill David, David would not touch the anointed of God. Absalom felt no such restriction.

Abalone even took his father's concubines in a very public manner to give credence to his claim to the throne. Given all the outrageous actions of Abalone King David still mourned for his son. David's extreme bereavement for Abalone had a decremental effect on his men and the Israeli.

King David finally took back the personae of King. He had to win back nation’s tribal leadership and fend off other challenges to his throne such as from Saul’s descendants

The Septuagint 526-1 - 9 - 6

The Septuagint Translation (LXX) of Hebrew Bible was compiled from 285-270 B.C. by 72 scholars at Alexandria hence the name Septuagint. It is the primary text quoted in the New Testament. It is the oldest Greek version of the Old Testament.

There is a question if the whole Hebrew Bible was completed by 270 B.C. Some scholars theorize only the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. These books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The remaining books were translated in the next two centuries well before the birth of Jesus. Not having complete confidence in most Bible academics, I tend towards all of the Hebrew Bible being completed by 270 BC.

A Brief History of the Septuagint

"The Origins of the Septuagint

The very first translation of the Hebrew Bible was made into Greek, probably as early as the third century BC. This, the so-called Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, is traditionally dated to the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (285-246 BC).

It is commonly called the “Septuagint” version (from the Latin for “seventy”) because according to the traditional account of its origin, preserved in the so-called Letter of Aristeas, it had seventy-two translators. This letter tells how King Ptolemy II commissioned the royal librarian, Demetrius of Phaleron, to collect by purchase or by copying all the books in the world. He wrote a letter to Eleazar, the high priest at Jerusalem, requesting six elders of each tribe, in total seventy-two men, of exemplary life and learned in the Torah, to translate it into Greek."

The balance of this interesting article is at:

[http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2016/03/31/A-Brief-History-of-the-Septuagint.aspx#Article]

One fact I use as a witnessing tool is telling people that the Septuagint Bible was completed nearly 300 years before the birth of Jesus and that He fulfilled more than 100 prophecies found therein.

The following are direct comparisons of the KJV and the Septuagint both from the Pentateuch and the complete Hebrew Bible:

Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Zecharias 11:12-13, "12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD."

[KJV]

Genesis 3:16, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed, he shall watch against thy head, and thou shalt watch against his heel."

Zacharias 12-13, "12 And I will say to them, If it be good in your eyes, give me my price, or refuse it. And they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, Drop them into the furnace, and I will see if it is good metal, as I was proved for their sakes. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the furnace in the house of the Lord."

[Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L.. English Translation of the Greek Septuagint, Including the Apocrypha]

When Jesus walked the earth, there was no New Testament. Jesus taught from either the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint and most often from Deuteronomy. After the crucifixion and resurrection Jesus taught two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.“

The Septuagint is indeed an excellent witnessing tool.

Comparing the counsel and motives of Hushai and Ahithophel as provided to King David. 510-2 - 14 - 4

Ahithophel had been a trusted adviser to King David, however, he also was the grandfather of Bathsheba. After King David fled the capital Ahithophel sided with Absalom likely to avenge the perceived disgrace David had brought upon Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah.

King David had a friend Hushai who had asked to accompany him on his flight from Absalom. David recruited Hushai to undermine Ahithophel’s effectiveness with Absalom by returning to Jerusalem and attaching himself to Absalom’s court as a counselor. Hushai was to contradict the advice of Ahithophel and to report Absalom’s plans to Zadok and Abiathar whose sons Jonathan and Ahimaaz would then relay them to David.

Ahithophel gave Absalom good advice. The first advice from Ahithophel was for Absalom to lie with his father’s concubines, as evidence of his succession. Absalom did so in a very public manner.

Would the fact that the concubines were not King David's wives negate Leviticus 20:11, "And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Ultimately Absalom was killed after catching his hair in a tree limb and hanging midair, killed by the terrain, the hand of God? The 10 concubines were segregated in their own palace and lived as widows.

Ahithophel recommended that Absalom should delegate the responsibility of defeating David to him.  Ahithophel would pursue David, make a rapid conquest, kill David and bring David’s disheartened followers back to Jerusalem.

Hushai’s advice to Absalom was 180 degrees removed from that of Ahithophel. Hushai suggested that David and his men would be ready for battle and fight like “a cornered bear: like a wild bear whose cubs have been stolen, the king, Hushai said, would be enraged over the loss of his kingdom.” To move against David would be premature, rather Absalom should wait until he could assemble a huge army and then attack.

Hushai also warned David about Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom through the sons of Zadok and Abiathar advising David to hasten his flight.

The advice of Ahithophel was brilliant as David was only miles from Jerusalem with his forces in disarray and without food and ammunition. Thankfully, Absalom took Hushai’s advice.

Meanwhile, Hushai’s messengers, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were spotted on their way to warn David to hurry. A woman hid them in a well and when asked if she had seen them she said, “They be gone over the brook of water.” The men looking for Jonathan and Ahimaaz gave up the search and returned to Jerusalem. Rather reminiscent of Joshua and Caleb, once more the hand of God.

King David had an unconditional covenant with God so regardless of whose advice Absalom might take, God would protest him. 

Psalm 2 includes the Trinity 526-1 - 8 - 4

Psalm 2:1-3 “1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

Rage, “a verb meaning to be in commotion, to rage against. This word appears only in Psalm 2:1 where it denotes the uproar and plotting of the wicked against the righteous. The image of a gathering lynch mob conveys well the action suggested here.”

A vain thing, “A masculine noun meaning emptiness, vanity, a delusion. It is used with a prefixed le to mean, in vain, uselessly. It stands for an imagined plot or plan that is a delusion, vain or something that is worthless It refers to professed help that is useless, vain before the Lord. Figuratively, it describes Israel being treated in judgment as an empty vessel."

Imagining, “a feminine plural noun indicating a thought, a plan. It refers to the ideas, imaginations, desires produced by a person while alive. Reference made to Psalm 146:3-4, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

[AMG International. Inc. Word Study]

I can almost see the Trinity in verses 1 and 2 scratching their collective head in amazement at what these foolish mortals plot in Verse 3. And the Lord is laughing, Psalm 2:4, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”

Psalms 2:1-4 is very relevant today considering the extreme arrogance on the part of not only the former Obama administration but in the world in general as they attempt to marginalize God. Those in control have been warned by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 2:10-11.

Psalm 2:7-9 refer to the second in the Trinity, the son. Jesus has been given the heathens to the outermost part of the world.

Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” A bit of a reach to the Holy Spirit, angry and wrath deal with rapid breathing and kindled, consume by fire.

In searching through several sources of commentaries concerning Psalms 2 I found this summary and downloaded the book:

"Contents: The psalm of the king; rejected, established and finally reigning. Characters: God, Christ, kings of earth. Conclusion: The kings of earth are ever setting themselves in array against God and His Annointed King, but in the day when He conies those who will not bend will be broken. Infinitely wise is he who yields his life to Jesus now and dreadful is the folly of those who continue in enmity to Him. ey Word: God's King, v. 6. Strong Verses: 8, 12. Striking Facts: v. 12. The yoke of Christ is intolerable to a graceless neck but to the sinner, saved by His precious blood, it is easy and light. Matt. 11:29."

[Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible; complete summary of the Old Testament]

Imagine mere man thinking he can make war on our Almighty God. It would be truly laughable if it weren’t for the fact that man is doing just that. More every day we can see that so many leaders throughout the world are doing Satan’s bidding. We are a microcosm of the cosmic war between good and evil. That said, we know how it will end because we have the Book.

The Antichrist will not be able to claim the “pedigree” of Jesus 526-1 - 8 - 2

The Antichrist will not be able to claim the “pedigree” of Jesus either by His birth or that he is the fulfillment of the hundreds of Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Deception will be Satan's tool.

"If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."

[Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's Propaganda Minister]

Deception, Lying and Taqiyya

"There are several forms of lying to non-believers that are permitted under certain circumstances, the best known being taqiyya. These circumstances are typically those that advance the cause of Islam - in some cases by gaining the trust of non-believers in order to draw out their vulnerability and defeat them."

[http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/taqiyya.aspx]

The "Noble" Quran

(Note that any text in parentheses was added by the translators)

3. Sura Ale-Imran (The Family of Imran)

"Sura 3:6. He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases. La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."

[http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/quran/noble/sura3.html#54]

Here Allah is claiming attributes of the true God, raising himself above God. Nothing new, Isaiah 14:13-14, "13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

There are many theories as to where the Antichrist will come from. Of the Islamic faith with their propensity to behead people. Zechariah 11:17, “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” Perhaps the long standing theory from the revived Roman Catholic Church.

Try as he may, the Antichrist will not fool the BACs. We have been warned throughout the Word of God including in Matthew 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

We BACs will either be raptured before the Antichrist comes to power (pre-tribulation) or we will be protected from the lies of the Antichrist (mid or post tribulation). Nevertheless, many unbelievers will fall for his deception and his many fabrications explaining the Rapture of the Church.

I have left breadcrumbs for family and friends who will be left behind including links to prophetic websites. This helpful information deals with what happened and why they missed the Rapture and what they can do to make sure that they don't fall under the spell of the antichrist. Now if my friends and family will just read and process the information.

The cross of Christ satisfy both the love and justice of God 510-2 - 14 - 5

"What, after all, is the meaning of the Cross about which we speak? Why should Christians “cling to the old rugged cross” as the old hymn reminds us to do? Surely, we might think we have outgrown such sentimentality. But it is exactly here that Christianity stands or falls; it is the meaning of the Cross that gives Christianity power. The Cross is nothing less than the self-substitution of God for us. Because God chose to forgive sinful humans, He could only do so righteously; in the words of Charles E. Cranfield, He chose “to direct against his own very self in the person of his Son the full weight of that righteous wrath which they deserved.” 1 God the Son paid the penalty for our sins to God the Father; thus “salvation is of the Lord.”

[Lutzer, Erwin W. Hitler's Cross: How the Cross Was Used to Promote the Nazi Agenda]

While we in Western World don't put our children through the fire, yearly hundreds of thousands of the unborn are sacrificed on the altar of choice usually for the sake of convenience. Quite fitting is this excerpt from the above book by Erwin W. Lutzer. "Nazi Germany teaches us that it is possible for an action to be legal and yet be immoral." Abortion is legal according to man’s law but an abhorrence to God.

Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” God had foreknowledge that man would fall so He had a solution. Satan would be the author of evil but Jesus would ultimately destroy him.

Genesis 3:21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” God provided coats of skins for Adam and Eve but at the cost of blood.

It has often been said that Psalm 22 could have been dictated from the foot of the cross. Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Mark confirms this in Mark 15:34. God could not look upon His son as Jesus represented all the sin that ever was or ever would be.

Psalm 22:7-8, “7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” No deliverance from the cross for Jesus except the deliverance of death.

John 18:37, “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

Jesus was and is our propitiation so we can stand before a righteous God. By His sacrifice on the cross Jesus assured us of salvation, nevertheless, we must accept it and place our complete faith, trust and life in Jesus.

John 16:28, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” Jesus is with the Father preparing a place for his Church. Come quickly Lord Jesus.