THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people.  So David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”  ‎(2 Samuel 24:10)

Webster’s Dictionary has this definition:

Butterfly effect

noun:  a property of chaotic systems (as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.

The theory says that as a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, small ripples are made in the atmosphere that build over time and space, so that by the time they reach Texas they are powerful winds that spawn a tornado.  While I am not necessarily advocating that theory, it is a fact that a seemingly small action can end in significant repercussions.  That is what we observe in 2 Samuel 24.

David was a shepherd, a soldier, a singer, a sovereign—and also, a sinner.  He was a man after God’s own heart, but after all still a man.  With all his wonderful traits, there were yet wicked tendencies.  He had all the frailties common to the flesh—this human condition set in a fallen world.  He stood tall, but stumbled too.  The good news is that after each fall, he got back up and continued his walk with God.  That did not mean, however, that God’s forgiveness removed all the temporal effects of his sin.  The apparently insignificant transgression recorded here—like the butterfly effect—made a profound difference in 70,000 lives.

For an unknown reason, the Scripture tells us that God was angry with the nation and would move to judge them.  In His sovereignty, He permitted Satan to tempt King David to conduct a census of the army.  We know this from the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21:1.

We may wonder why David desired such a census and what was wrong with it.  It would seem he was motivated by carnal reasoning—seeking to lean on the size of his army, rather than look to the strength of his God.  Pride was at the root of this thinking, and that is a devilish thing God despises.  In our text, we do not find David seeking God’s will in prayer or searching God’s Word for guidance.  It was a fleshly decision driven by worldly desires, and the butterfly effect was unleashed.

Too often a leader may think he is not accountable to anyone.  He gets too big for his britches.  In this case, David’s head had swollen larger than his crown.  The horrible consequences were the deaths of 70,000 of his soldiers.  David thought he could trust the numbers he could put on the battlefield and God showed him that those numbers could be quickly diminished.  David found out that even if no man held him accountable, he was accountable to God.  He may have been the king, but God is the King of kings.

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story.  David found God to be holy and just—a God who judges sin—but more, a God who forgives and pardons.  If God were not merciful, there would be no hope for any of us.  The promise is that if we confess, He forgives.  This story reminds us that we cannot presume upon the grace of God—our wrong choices can have bad consequences—yet, neither must we despair of the grace of God—He does forgive.

THE FUGITIVE

And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.  (1 Samuel 23:14)

Do you recall, “The Fugitive”?  It was a successful TV show, later made into a movie.  In the story, Dr. Richard Kimble is falsely convicted for the murder of his wife.  Kimble escapes, but is relentlessly pursued by Lt. Gerard.  The fugitive is an innocent man, never able to relax, and always on the run.  That was the real story of David.  Though guilty of no crime, he was chased continually by King Saul, who meant to kill him.

In chapter 21 of 1 Samuel, we find David desperate.  He constantly is looking over his shoulder, without a minute’s peace.  The fear of man had supplanted the fear of God—and, thus, David made poor decisions.  He told a lie in order to gain Goliath’s sword and gather provisions.  This would result in the death of the priests.  Beyond this, David actually goes into enemy territory—looking to the world for protection, rather than trusting in God to be his Refuge.  One is reminded of Peter who did much the same thing when he denied Jesus.  It is understandable from a human standpoint, but inexcusable from heaven’s perspective.  “The fear of man brings a snare….”  (Prov.29:25a)  The worst of it is that David then acted like a lunatic before the Philistines in order to save his skin, bringing reproach to himself, and to his God.

Things get worse, as the evil Doeg (chapter 22) reports to Saul that Ahimelech and the other priests have aided David.  The paranoid king has them executed by the vicious dog of a man, Doeg.  Eighty five innocent servants of God are slaughtered.  The failure of our faith—and particularly that of a leader may have far-reaching implications—consequences we do not anticipate when we yield to fear.  The good news is that David would learn.  He would be driven back to lean on the Lord.  These lessons would be written indelibly by experience on his soul.  The fugitive would eventually be vindicated.  The fire David went through would refine his character and God would hammer him on the anvil of trouble into a king.

David was a man after God’s own heart—yet, still a MAN—with all the frailties of the flesh that comes with that.  There never comes a time when we can trust our own strength.  We are also reminded that failure need not be final—we can grow through it, rise above it, as we are humbled by it.  That very brokenness brings us to God and into grace.  “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”  (James 4:6)