The Bible is very intentional in its presentation. That should not surprise us because the Bible is the very Word of God, brought to us by the Spirit of God so that we might know who God is and the salvation He has provided. So as we come to the end of 2 Samuel, we are given an intentional reminder of how David is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The book ends not with the story of David’s death (that is left to 1 Kings) but with an account of sin, mercy, and sacrifice. David numbers the people (we are not explicitly told why), and God’s judgment comes down on him and Israel. But there is more than sin – David confesses his sin almost as soon as the census is completed and throws himself on the mercy of God. Mercy does not negate all the consequences of sin, but God stays His hand and instructs David to build an altar and sacrifice. That alone would point us to Jesus’s sacrifice, but the Lord makes sure we make the connection – the place of the altar was Mount Moriah, where Abraham sacrificed the ram instead of Isaac, and it would become the place of the Temple. It is a blessing for us to see Jesus in the account of “The Senseless Census” (2 Samuel 24).

I. Sin

II. Mercy

III. Sacrifices