“But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Yerushalayim to destroy it, Adonai changed his mind about causing such distress and said to the angel destroying the people, “Enough! Now withdraw your hand.” The angel of Adonai was at the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Y’vusi.”-2 Samuel 24:16
So one thing is crystal clear.
David sinned greatly by choosing to conduct a census.
And another thing is just as clear.
The Lord used that transgression as justification to punish the AM of Israel for their sin.
Though we’re never told what that sin was.
And remember, AM is the Hebrew term that only refers to God’s covenant people.
Now, when we come to verse 16, most Bibles will say something to the effect that the Lord repented of the evil he was doing, and as a result, did not proceed to go on and destroy Jerusalem.
The King James says…
“The Lord repented him of the evil.“
And the NIV says…
“The Lord relented concerning the disaster.”
I’d say the Complete Jewish Bible (copied and pasted above) gives us the most accurate rendering when it says, “The Lord changed his mind about causing distress.”
The word “distress” comes from the Hebrew word RAH.
RAH normally means “evil” or “wickedness.”
But it is also a word used to refer to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons.
In the Biblical era, all natural disasters were believed to have supernatural origins.
Now, I wanna show you an interesting pattern that connects to these famous words of Yeshua speaking on the last days.
“How dreadful it will be in those days
for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Pray that this will not take place in winter,
because those will be days of distress
unequaled from the beginning,
When God created the world, until now
—and never to be equaled again.
If the Lord had not cut short those days,
No one would survive.
But for the sake of the elect,
whom he has chosen,
He has shortened them.”
-Mark 13:17-20
In this scene, we have Yeshua standing in Jerusalem, prophesying about the end times.
The first pattern is to notice the word “distress,” or RAH, reappears.
The second pattern is to notice that the Lord will suddenly put a stop to the disaster unfolding.
And He will do it prematurely for the sake of His Chosen People.
Both of these connections follow the exact pattern contained in 2nd Samuel Chapter 24.
The takeaway for today is clear.
If you really, really, really wanna understand your New Testament…
You had best understand the so-called “Old.”
Because a good portion of the “Old” is in the “New”…
Which means the “Old” isn’t really new in the first place, is it now?
Ya feel me, homie?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“If you believed Moses,
You would believe me,
for he wrote about me.”
-John 5:46
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