1 Chron 21:14-30
SS Lesson for 05/04/2025
Devotional Scripture: Gen 14:21-24
Despite being portrayed as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), King David committed grievous sins. Most remembered are the sins of adultery and murder in his seduction of Bathsheba and the death of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11). The “God’s own heart” part of David seems to have gained traction after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan about the violation of the sixth and seventh commandments (Exodus 20:13-14). The result was the tender prayer of Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” More consequential for a greater number of people, however, was the sin of David concerning a census he took of Israel to know the potential size of his army (2 Samuel 24:2; 1 Chronicles 21:2). The results of the survey must have astonished David: there were over one million men who “could handle a sword” (2 Samuel 24:9). This census angered the Lord, for David’s pride drove it as he rejected his reliance upon God for Israel’s security. The prophet Gad delivered God’s judgment to David, and it came with a twist: David could choose from among three punishments, of varying impacts on Israel, for his sins. The choices were three years of famine, three months of attacks by the nation’s enemies, or three days of a pestilent plague (1 Chronicles 21:12). These three had been ways the Lord showed his wrath to Israel (see Jeremiah 14:12). David chose the third option, with horrific results for his people.
Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
17 And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued."
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started."
19 Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary."
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.
29 they provoked the Lord to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 17 David said to God, "Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people."
21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." 5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
18 Therefore, the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat.
21 So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."
23 But Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all."
24 Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
26 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
27 So the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.
30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. 100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.
24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
9 Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
Chapter 21 records the fulfillment of God’s second personal promise to David, namely, that He would appoint a place where Israel could dwell securely (in rest, 1 Chronicles 17:9). This was a promise of peace for Israel, but as the verses following 1 Chronicles 17:9 make clear, God had more than this in mind. He intended to dwell among His people in the house Solomon would build (1 Chronicles 17:11-12). God’s presence was the real source of Israel’s security. By giving Israel a place, God would provide for Himself a place where He would dwell, specifically the temple. Chapter 21 records God’s choice of the place where He would dwell, the site of the temple. There David’s successor would build a house for Yahweh (1 Chronicles 17:12).
"It may also be said that having empowered Israel to defeat their human foes, God provided a place of atonement and divine manifestation whereby they could defeat (or hold at bay) their nonhuman enemy, Satan." [Note: Thompson, p. 160.]
The writer gave much attention to detail and background events because of the importance of the temple site. All these events point to God’s ultimate purpose for the temple: that it would draw the Israelites and the Gentiles to Himself.
"Here, by divine command, is to be the site of the temple. It is a gift not from Ornan but from God. The grace of God, in giving this to His people as the place where ark and altar are to be brought together, is a thing to be wondered at." [Note: Wilcock, p. 95.]
Apparently David’s lack of faith in God’s ability to save His people led him to number the people (1 Chronicles 21:1-7). God did not approve of this attitude, and even though David confessed his sin and God removed his guilt, the consequences of his sin followed (1 Chronicles 21:8-12). David’s words to Gad again model a proper response to God (1 Chronicles 21:13). By referring to Gad as a "seer," the writer implied that Gad served David primarily by getting divine revelation for him (cf, 1 Samuel 22:5; 2 Samuel 24:11-19). In contrast, the "prophet" Nathan’s primary role appears to have been announcing messages from the Lord to the king (cf. 2 Samuel 7:2-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15). [Note: See Leon J. Wood, The Prophets of Israel, pp. 169-257, for discussion of each of the prophets mentioned during Israel’s monarchy.] God’s compassion is also evident in His relenting and reducing His originally intended judgment (1 Chronicles 21:15; cf. Exodus 32:14; et al.). David volunteered to bear God’s judgment in place of the innocent Israelites (1 Chronicles 21:16-17). However, God instructed him to build an altar at the place of God’s judgment and to offer the sacrifice that the Mosaic Law required. That was the site God chose for His house (1 Chronicles 21:18 to 1 Chronicles 22:1). That place forever after, as long as Israel occupied the land, would be where the priests would atone for the Israelites’ sins by sacrifice. God demonstrated His approval of David’s offerings by sending fire from heaven (1 Chronicles 21:26; cf. Leviticus 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38). The primary reason for including this incident involving David’s sin was that it explains the site chosen for the temple. [Note: Thompson, p. 160.]
The Hebrew word transliterated "Satan" (satan; 1 Chronicles 21:1) means adversary. Adversary would be a better translation here. This is the first time in Scripture the word appears without the definite article as a proper noun. It seems that the adversary God permitted to worry David into numbering the people was a foreign enemy (1 Chronicles 21:12; cf. 1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:23; 2 Samuel 24:1-25; 1 Kings 5:4; 1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23; 1 Kings 11:25). [Note: See Sarah Japhet, I & II Chronicles, pp. 374-75; Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "Does God Deceive?" Bibliotheca Sacra 155:617 (January-March 1998):22-23; and Sydney H. T. Page, "Satan: God’s Servant," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50:3 (September 2007):449-65.] Of course Satan played a role in this temptation, but it was evidently fear of one of his neighbors that disturbed David’s mind. [Note: See John H. Sailhamer, "1 Chronicles 21:1-A Study in Inter-biblical Interpretation," Trinity Journal 10NS:1 (Spring 1989):42-43.]
"The major reason for taking a census in Israel was to lay the basis for levying taxes (Exodus 30:12; Numbers 3:40-51) or registering men for military service (Numbers 26:1-4)." [Note: Thompson, p. 160. Cf. 21:4-7.]
"The version of the incident in the Book of 2 Samuel [1 Chronicles 24:1] gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective." [Note: The NET Bible note on 21:1.]
David’s response to Gad’s instructions indicated his true repentance. He left the decision about punishment entirely in God’s hands and did not seek to control it.
"Perhaps the one thing that impresses more than David’s sins in his life are his repentances (cf. 2 Samuel 12:13 ff., and, associated in its heading with the same incident, Psalms 51). We do well to let his willingness to come fully to terms with his deficiencies inform our own responses to our moral failures before God." [Note: McConville, p. 71.]
Chapters 17-21 give the writer’s first account of what God promised David in the Davidic Covenant. The things that God promised, He provided in David’s lifetime and shortly after that. They included victory in battle, expanded influence, and a glorious reputation. The record of this promise is in 1 Chronicles 17:8, and the fulfillment is in chapters 18-20. The second promise was a secure, peaceful place for Israel that made necessary a place for Yahweh to dwell among His people in fellowship. The record of this promise is in 1 Chronicles 17:9-12, and chapter 21 guarantees its fulfillment. These promises and their fulfillments would have given the original readers of Chronicles great confidence. They would have encouraged them that Yahweh would yet fulfill those promises in the Davidic Covenant that had not yet materialized but were still future for them. The record should have the same effect on us today.
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/1-chronicles-21.html)
Large numbers of people suffer deeply from the mistakes of a single individual. Think about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian student in 1914, which kicked off World War I and the deaths of millions. In the Bible, consider the gross sins of King Manasseh, which resulted in God’s sending Israel into the Babylonian exile (Jeremiah 15:4; see 2 Kings 21:16). At the birth of Jesus, the insecurity and ruthlessness of King Herod led to the massacre of innocent babies and children in Bethlehem and nearby areas (Matthew 2:16). David understood that his prideful sin had resulted in the deaths of 70,000 men. The nearly 10 months it took before the census-takers returned (2 Samuel 24:8) can be seen as God’s waiting period before he acted. He is patient—but his patience has limits (2 Peter 3:9).