Question

---

2 Samuel Lesson 26 (2023)

DAVID BUILDS AN ALTAR

(2 Samuel 24:1-25)

Open it:

1. What modern-day status symbols do we regard as “the more, the better”? What are some examples of the followers’ suffering when the leader does something wrong?

Explore it:

1. Read verse 1. How did God use David to punish Israel? (1) What does it mean that God “incited” David against Israel when God was angry with Israel?

2. Read verses 2-4. What did the king want his commanders to find out for him? Who objected to David’s plan and tried to dissuade him? Who opinion prevailed as to what should be done? (4) How does David’s decision reflect on his relationship with God?

3. Read verses 5-9. How long did it take for the commanders to go throughout the land, counting the fighting men? How many fighting men did David have in Israel and Judah?

4. Read verses 10-14. How does God respond to David’s actions, as described in verses 10 and 11? What choice did Gad present to David? What punishment did David choose from the three options God put before him? (14) How did David demonstrate his knowledge of God by his choice of means of punishment?

5. Read verses 15-17. How many people died in the plague? Where was the angel of death when God instructed him to stop? What was David’s confession when he saw what was happening to Israel?

6. Read verses 18-25. What did Gad instruct David to do as part of ending the plague? Why did David insist on paying for all the items for the sacrifice? Why is a “cheap” sacrifice inappropriate for the living God? What did God do for David and Israel when all these actions were completed?

Apply it:

1. Reflect on when you may have faced the consequences of your actions, how you responded, and what you learned from the experience.

---

Attachment

• 2 Sam-26 (2023).docx

---