10 But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (II Samuel 24)
David had become the great king the people of Israel longed for and needed, to keep them united. But his rule was not without its struggles or sorrows. In what might be called his last offical act before passing the baton to Solomon, David sits back and considers this great nation and "his heart struck him." He realized it had become all about him. The Lord brings judgment swiftly and powerfully, and David humbly takes full responsibility, paying the price for the altar on which to offer sacrifice for forgiveness. What a scene to close out the book. But it will actually offer us a measuring rod for the success of succeeding kings. Will they be men after God's own heart, who humbly depend on God, call out to Him, and take responsibility for their actions - all the way through. Will we?
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