Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for November 2, 2014

“Mercy and Mission 1:8” 2 Samuel 24 Bible Study 11/02/14

In his well-known work, “The Cost of Discipleship”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We see the truth of this statement demonstrated in the worship experience of King David after his sin brought calamity upon the people of Israel. Although clearly a flawed man, David was a “man after God’s own heart” through whom the Lord directed and preserved His people. The ultimate effectiveness of the Mission 1:8 emphasis is connected profoundly to your growing comprehension of the magnitude of God’s mercy. In light of the magnitude of God’s mercy, worship Him sacrificially.

I. A King’s Command (1-9)

-a senseless and sinful census
-the response of Joab
-285 days of information-gathering

II. A King’s Confession (10)

-a “smitten” heart
-an honest assessment

III. A King’s Consequences (11-14)

-three options
-dramatic distress
-memory of mercy

IV. A King’s Intercession (15-24)

-demonstration of mercy
-plea for the sheep
-immediate obedience
-costly offering
-wrath scourged and satisfied

V. So What?

-David’s King
-wood, blood and hill…
-We have an altar… (Heb. 13:10)

-“Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” -J. H. Jowett

-No place for leftovers or afterthoughts

-“…Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” -I. Watts