May 9, 2021

God’s Sovereignty & Man’s Responsibility

Preacher:
Passage: 2 Samuel 24:1-25
Service Type:

Introduction

  • Looking at the interplay between God's Sovereignty & Man's Responsibility
  • Some might say - if God is Sovereign:
    • In what sense are we truly free?
    • In what sense are we truly responsible for our choices and actions?
    • If God has chosen a people for Himself - how can those who have not be chosen be held accountable for their rejection of Him
  • Judas
    • Zech 11:12-13
    • If this was prophesied - in what sense was Judas responsible for what he did?
    • God's Sovereignty & Man's Responsibility is like train tracks
      • Everything about God's Sovereignty is true
      • Everything about Man's Responsibility is true
      • Whilst it was ordained what Judas would do - he was absolutely responsible for his sin
        • Examples of his sin
    • Both for-ordained and personal responsibility
    • Acts 2:23 - God's Sovereignty & Man's Responsibility
  • We must not go to extremes
    • We must hold these two truths in balance
    • There is a deep mystery about this
  • v1 - God is angry at Israel
    • He moves David to number Israel and Judah
    • v10 - David is guilty for the decision he made
    • v3 - David goes ahead and doesn't listen
    • v13 - David's sin has consequences
    • v15 - 70'000 men died
    • The plague is removed by David building an altar and sacrificing
  • Other lessons:
    • God chastising His people
    • Pride of the human heart
  • v1 - The big context is that Israel has sinned
    • We are not told what the sin was
      • ?when the people followed Absolom
      • ?due to a second rebellion
      • ?the people becoming too self-comfortable and forgetting God
    • The anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel
  • v1 - "moved" meaning gave permission
    • 1 Chr 21:1 - Satan
    • Compare with Job
    • Is this perhaps a test for David?
  • David's pride?
    • As David's is growing older, is he becoming more prideful and starting to take glory to himself
    • 23:8
    • v9 - he is concerned with the number of valiant men
  • Why did David not listen to Joab
    • Explanation of Joab's background
  • Does the Lord forgive David's sin?
    • v10 - David seeks forgiveness
    • Yes - but there are still consequences
    • Ex 30:12 - David had forgotten that a sacrifice was due when a census was made
      • He had forgotten that census' were taken for specific purposes - not to see how strong he had become
    • David did not understand the big picture - he thought the people were innocent (v17) but remember v1