Quality Tested

The Bible records in 2 Samuel 23 the last words of David and in 2 Samuel 24 :1 we read "1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." I was surprised that such a test be desired for David at such an old age. However, David went on with the census even though Joab his commander tried to talk David out of it."3 But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" . Well needless to say, that did not work and David went ahead with the census anyway. "10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." Now comes the interesting part, God asks David a very unique question, I dont think I have come across such question posed to anyone else in the Bible so far. Gad the prophet came over to David and said "This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three [b] years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me." and you know what David decided "14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." David's answer is wonderful. More than that God asks David to perform a sacrifice and the plague in Israel is stopped.

Lessons

1. God tests His people for their faithfulness,no matter what their age. There is no time a believer can take a vacation from faith. Our faith is active and alive, working every single moment of our lives. Romans 1:17 says "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Our very life depends on faith and thus it doesn't matter how old we get, as long as we live, we live by faith and God tested David to see whether his faith held ground even at that old age.
2. David's powerful understanding and relationship with God-I sometimes wonder if I were in David's place would I be able to make such a decision as David did. He could make a sure decision because he "knew" God, he could not vouch for people or for anything else but David could confidently vouch for God, he could vouch for God's mercies as he knew God's mercies are new every morning and His love endures forever.
3. Every failure David runs to God- One of the most important lessons David's life resounds is about God's forgiveness. David knew God's mercy more than anyone else I've met so far in my Bible lessons I guess. David didn't have such perfect life as one would expect from a man of God. He had some major downfalls, sins in his span of life. However the key that made David a "man after God's own heart" was his admittance that he keeps falling, he makes consistent effort to stay obedient to God in every step of his way. Every time he failed, he just ran to God and almost like threw himself at God's feet for God's mercy. He relentlessly surrendered to God at every situation of his life (be it success or a failure) and God always took him. You know, many times when we fall short (which we will because we're still in a flesh which tends to disobey God."Matthew 26:41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." we learn from David , we MUST run TO GOD and not away.
4. Nothing cheap for God-Later on when God asked David to perform a sacrifice, David was at Araunah's place and Araunah offered all that he had to David to be able to sacrifice. However David replied "24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." These verses are used as wonderful testimony for David anywhere people talk about David. Surely David gave God the best, always. Even in his life, he offered what was costly to any human, his life.

Conclusion: We're coming to the end of the life of a man who has impacted lives of believers around the world. David has taught me that we have failures but that shouldn't discourage us from following our Living God, he knows we are flesh and we are weak more than anyone else. he doesn't expect us to be perfect, if God did where would we stand. David's life brings out a different kind of intense relationship man can have with God. A man after God's own heart. Even though he had many faults and shortcomings, he yet followed God whole heartedly, totally depending on God for whatever God's decision would be for his life. God always turned his life around no matter how bad he messed up. We have hope with our Living God. There is no refuge like our Living God, Who reaches out for His children to bring them out of darkness into light.