What is the meaning of 2 Samuel 24:16? But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem • The angel had already struck throughout Israel, carrying out judgment for David’s sinful census (2 Samuel 24:12-15). • “Stretched out his hand” pictures a final, decisive blow poised over the capital, echoing other angelic judgments (Exodus 12:23; 2 Kings 19:35). • God’s people see the seriousness of sin: even Jerusalem, the city of the temple, is not exempt (1 Peter 4:17). the LORD relented from the calamity • “Relented” shows genuine mercy without denying justice (Jonah 3:10; Jeremiah 18:7-8). • David’s confession (2 Samuel 24:10) aligns Israel with God’s heart, opening the door for compassion. • Judgment is never God’s ultimate delight; mercy triumphs when repentance appears (Micah 7:18). and said to the angel who was destroying the people • Angels serve strictly under God’s command (Psalm 103:20-21). • Even righteous angels must stop when God speaks, proving His absolute sovereignty (Job 1:12; Revelation 7:1-3). • The focus shifts from the instrument of wrath to the voice of grace. “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” • A direct, authoritative halt: God sets the limits of discipline (1 Corinthians 10:13). • His word instantly changes the course of history, underlining the power of divine decree (Psalm 33:9). • Mercy puts a boundary around devastation, preserving a remnant (Isaiah 1:9; Lamentations 3:22-23). At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite • Threshing floors picture separation of wheat from chaff—an apt backdrop for judgment and mercy (Matthew 3:12). • This specific site will become the temple mount (2 Chronicles 3:1), turning a place of halted wrath into the center of worship and sacrifice. • The angel’s visible presence marks the exact spot where a substitutionary offering will cease the plague (2 Samuel 24:18-25), foreshadowing Christ’s ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). summary 2 Samuel 24:16 portrays God’s just wrath poised over Jerusalem, then instantly restrained by His compassionate command. He governs angelic forces, sets firm limits on judgment, and transforms a threshing floor into the future temple site—a powerful reminder that while sin invites calamity, God’s heart moves swiftly toward mercy and redemption for those who repent. |
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