Lutheran Only Absolution Withheld for David?

[prism]

In 2 Sam 24:10 it says...

2 Samuel 24:10 ESV
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."

David had confessed his sin before the Lord, and yet the Lord had gone on to 70,000 people in Israel. Why? Is that how confession and absolution works?

 

[Josiah]

I'm no expert here..... But a couple of things come to mind:

1. God forgives the sin but doesn't necessarily remove the consequence of it. An unmarried girl has sex - a sin. Can she repent of that and thus be forgiven? Of course. Might she still get pregnant? Might she still give birth to a baby? Yup. An alcoholic can repent of his sin and be forgiven, but his liver is not necessarily healed. Forgiveness deals with the sin, not the consequence.

2. Sometimes things in the OT seem odd. God blessed all of the nation of Syria because of Naaman (who did good) ... here God punished all of Israel because of David (who did bad). Why? I don't know. But I suspect it has to do with consequences.



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