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1 Chronicles Chapter 21
David's Census Brings Pestilence
- 1Chronicles 21:1 And
Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number
Israel.
- 2 And David said to
Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from
Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that
I may know it.
- 3 And Joab answered,
The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they
be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants?
why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause
of trespass to Israel?
Satan tempted David to do this thing.
Joab had his faults but in this case he was wise enough to see that
this was a mistake. This was prideful for David to want to number
the people and trust in his armies. Later David in the Psalms
writes:
God sees our motives and our reasons
for doing things. This was a sin of pride. One good thing we notice
about David though. When he did sin and it was pointed out to him,
he was quick to repent.
-
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to them
that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in
chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they
are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel,
neither seek the LORD!
The Lord only is our source of victory
over anything. The mightiest army can't stand against God.
- 1Chronicles 21:4
Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore
Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to
Jerusalem.
- 5 And Joab gave the
sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of
Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that
drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten
thousand men that drew sword.
- 6 But Levi and
Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was
abominable to Joab.
- 7 And God was
displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
Joab strongly objected to this command
of David. Levi was left out because they were set aside for the
service of the temple and worship. Benjamin was a small tribe but
for some reason Joab didn't number them. Perhaps he just got tired
of the whole thing.
I'm thinking God was displeased because
of the motive of pride and desiring to know thier military might.
-
1Chronicles 21:8 And David
said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this
thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy
servant; for I have done very foolishly.
David had a heart after God for this
reason. He was always quick to repent if he did wrong.
- 1Chronicles 21:9 And
the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,
- 10 Go and tell
David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things:
choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
- 11 So Gad came to
David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
- 12 Either three
years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes,
while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else
three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the
land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the
coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall
bring again to him that sent me.
God was ready to forgive but He didn't
let David just get by with this sin of pride. He offered three
choices to David.
This shows that David was back to
trusting in the mercy of God instead of his great armies.
Since pride in the number of people was
the cause of David's sin, that number is greatly reduced. This is
something that puzzles me but David seems to have known this was
wrong to do so there may be more too this that we see just by
reading about it.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15
And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he
was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the
evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay
now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
- 16 And David lifted
up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the
earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched
out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who
were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
- 17 And David said
unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered?
even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for
these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O
LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy
people, that they should be plagued.
God in His mercy stopped this before it
was completed. David asked God to blame him and his household
instead of the people under his authority. He acknowledged his sin
before God. In spite of David's mistakes, this shows that he truly
has a heart that is right. He has his moments but he is quick to
repent when he sees his own mistakes and makes things right.
David Builds an Altar
- 1Chronicles 21:18
Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that
David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
- 19 And David went up
at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.
God communicated to
David by way of the prophet Gad. David was instructed to make an
altar at the place where the plagued was stopped.
- 1Chronicles 21:20
And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with
him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
What an experience this must have been.
Ornan was just going about his business with his sons as he usually
did and all the sudden, he seems to have seen an angel from the
Lord. I think I would hide too wondering what was going on.
- 1Chronicles 21:21
And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went
out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his
face to the ground.
- 22 Then David said
to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may
build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for
the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
When Ornan saw David he came out of
hiding and showed respect to the king. David immediately got to the
point of why he was there. He was to build an altar to the Lord. I
do notice that David didn't just use his authority as king to use
Ornan's threshingfloor as a place for an altar but asked permission
of the owner of the property first. As king he could have just did
what he pleased.
- 1Chronicles 21:23
And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the
king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen
also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for
wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.
- 24 And king David
said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price:
for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer
burnt offerings without cost.
David refused Ornan's willingness to
give David the oxen, wood and wheat for the offering but David
refused to accept it, not wanting to give an offering to the Lord
without it costing him something.
- 1Chronicles 21:25 So
David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by
weight.
- 26 And David built
there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him
from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
- 27 And the LORD
commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the
sheath thereof.
God in His mercy stopped the plague
from going further seeing how David was a man that made things right
when his sin was pointed out to him.
- 1Chronicles 21:28 At
that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
- 29 For the tabernacle of
the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of
the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at
Gibeon.
- 30 But David could
not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of
the sword of the angel of the LORD.
David decides to build the temple of
the Lord in this place and does pay Ornan for doing so. We see David
even fearing to go to Gibeon for fear that that plague would start
again. He was making sure everyone was safe. -DJC
1Chronicles
Chapter 22
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