Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 24 (day four)
What was so bad about a census? To our western mind, a census does not seem to be a bad idea. In Exodus 30 though, God specifically required a ransom for each man counted in a census. Since no reason is given in Scripture for the ransom, scholars have speculated as to the why. Israel was considered God’s army, so when a leader counted the available soldiers, he was appearing to claim the army as his own. In 1 Chronicles 21, we also learn that Satan had moved David to conduct the census. That cause and effect is never good!
Regardless of the why, David had sinned against God. It was David’s repentance after the fact that revealed David’s reputation as a man after God’s own heart. We all sin…but it is how we deal with that sin after the fact that reveals our relationship with God. God is ready to forgive when He sees a heart that is truly repentant!
This is key, “God is ready to forgive when He sees a heart that is truly repentant!”
This tells us that God’s forgiveness has limitations. Forgiveness is not for free. We must seek God’s forgiveness and when He finds us sincerely repentant, He is ready to forgive. This should give us comfort and peace of mind so we can move on to have a new beginning. God hates sins but not sinners, I am convinced. God knows only through forgiveness, we will have the opportunity to pull ourselves away from Satan’s influence for good and to come back to God. God, our creator, knows human beings struggle between good and evil on a daily basis. We should hope that the evil’s path in one’s weakest moment is not his or her intent but it is circumstantial.
As a matter of practice, we should follow God’s love and example to learn to forgive. We should give people who made mistakes whatever the mistakes might be and are sincerely repentant to have the second chance to live a life without repeating the same mistakes and without a guilty conscience for the rest of their lives. We are hopeful! Forgiveness is a powerful leadership and management tool. Only love can do that.