2 Samuel 24: When God Allows the Hard Stuff

I couldn't just pick one today.

Today's heading alone—“David Takes a Census”—had me thinking, Oh no, don’t do it, David!!! I love that being in the Word regularly has helped me understand context so clearly. Taking a census was a clear sign David was trying to feel confident In his own strength, military and resources. I remember thinking why on earth would taking a census be evil? It's the self reliance aspect that it revealed not the actual act of counting how many people David had in his military that was wrong. It was the confirmation the strong numbers gave him "self-confidence" vs God-confidence.

Then the very first verse Im thinking wait—what? The Lord incited David? How is that possible?

Why would the Lord make or even allow David to do something He wasn’t supposed to do?Reading just the first verse had me thinking... something’s off here. That word incite is a strong one. It means to provoke, stir up, or urge someone toward a particular action—usually something negative.

So… was it God? Or was it Satan? Can it be both?

Interestingly, when you read the same story in 1 Chronicles 21:1, it says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census.”So we’re left with this tension—one passage says God incited David, and the other says Satan did.

Here’s what I’m learning: In His sovereignty, God allowed Satan to tempt David—and at the same time, He allowed whatever was already going on inside David (pride, fear, insecurity) to surface. God didn’t make David sin. He allowed it. David had free will. He had a choice. Clearly—he didn’t get this one right.

It reminded me of Job… and even Pharaoh. There are moments when God allows testing—or even a hardened heart—not to harm us, but to reveal what’s going on beneath the surface. It’s not punishment—it’s purification. It’s sanctification.Because without free will, there wouldn’t be real love. Sometimes, it’s not even about the one person—there’s a bigger story at play. In this case, Scripture tells us God’s anger was already burning against Israel. So David’s census wasn’t just about him—it was part of something greater that we may never fully understand this side of heaven. What I do know is this:

The more I stay in God’s Word, the more I understand His heart. Even when it’s hard to watch what’s going down—even when I don’t love what’s happening—I can trust there’s a purpose. He’s working it for my good.

This feels really personal right now. I’m holding some things that don’t feel good…

A child finding his own way…

The longing to share my life with someone…

Questions about my career and what’s next…

The waiting game on the sale of my home…

I may not see what God is doing in all of it—but I feel assured. For real. There’s a plan unfolding behind the scenes. And even in the tension, even in the testing, He’s still working it all for good.

Then there's this...I’m queen of giving God my yes—but the real question I’m asking is: How often do I give my yes only when it’s convenient, when it fits in my plan, or doesn’t require much. Yikes. When I read that moment with Araunah, I caught myself thinking, must be nice… some people have all the luck. (Whew...victim thinking for sure.) Then David said, No. It must cost me.   Glad for the quick check, Needed that.