1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
Chapter 21 deals with David’s census of Israel and with the Lord’s displeasure and the plague that fell upon Israel in consequence. See also on
2 Sam. 24, the parallel passage.
The Bible reveals the purposes of God and exposes the wiles of the enemy. Satan is constantly at war against the kingdom of heaven and is doing his utmost to thwart God’s purposes and to bring confusion and distress into the ranks of God’s people. God had wonderfully blessed David and brought great prosperity to Israel. But Satan endeavored to make it appear that David’s success was due to his own prowess and the military strength of the nation, and was endeavoring to cause David more and more to rely upon human resources rather than the blessing of Heaven.
Satan is here represented as the one who provoked David to number Israel. In
2 Sam. 24:1, the parallel account, the observation is made,
“The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.” God is frequently said to do that which He does not prevent. Filled with thoughts of pride and self-sufficiency, David was led by the evil one to take this census in Israel. God did not interpose, but permitted David’s corrupt motive to be translated into action. When the Lord allows the course of evil to take its way, it is often set forth as if this were by the active intervention of God, although it is actually the force of evil that is at work producing its baneful results (see
Rom. 1:18, 24, 26, 28; PP 728, 739).
The census to be taken of Israel was for military purposes, a form of registration for military service. The number sought was not the whole population, but the fighting strength of the nation (
v. 5). By increasing his military might David thought to increase still further the power and prestige of Israel. By doing this, however, he was causing the nations round about to think that Israel’s strength lay in its powerful army and not in God (see PP 747).
1 Chronicles 21:2 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.
David’s proposed census caused great unrest in the nation. The people were not in agreement with the plan to extend the military service. To keep the situation under control, David ordered the army to take charge of the census, rather than the priests or tribal leaders (see
Num. 1:2-18; 26:1, 2; PP 747).
From Beer-sheba even to Dan.
A phrase designating all Israel, from Beersheba at the extreme southern limit, to Dan at the extreme north.
1 Chronicles 21:3 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?
Hardened warrior though he was, Joab saw no light in David’s attempt to number Israel, and registered his protest against the plan.
In Samuel, Joab’s protestation is reported thus:
“Why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?” (
2 Sam. 24:3). In his remonstrance with the king, Joab was endeavoring by a series of questions to cause David to see the folly of his course and the evil it would bring.
1 Chronicles 21:4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
The king’s word prevailed.
Unfortunately, those in authority are not always right, but it is their word that prevails. Joab was right and David was wrong.
The details concerning the taking of the census are not given in Chronicles. According to
2 Sam. 24:5-8, the census takers crossed the Jordan and worked north to Gilead and Dan, then across to Sidon, and south to Beersheba, and returned to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days.
1 Chronicles 21:5 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.
The totals given here differ somewhat from the totals in
2 Sam. 24:9. These totals are as follows:
| |
Chronicles |
Samuel |
| Israel |
1,100,000 |
800,000 |
| Judah |
470,000 |
500,000 |
| Total |
1,570,000 |
1,300,000 |
It is possible that the figure in Chronicles of 1,100,000 includes the total of David’s standing army, 288,000 men (
ch. 27:1-15). In round numbers this would be 300,000 men, which, added to the 800,000 of Samuel, would make 1,100,000. The 500,000 of Samuel for Judah may also be a round number for the chronicler’s more exact figure of 470,000 (see further on
2 Sam. 24:9). The number of warriors in Israel had increased considerably since the Exodus, when the total, excluding Levites, stood at 603,550 (
Num. 1:46). See Introduction to Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 21:6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
This detail is not mentioned in Samuel. According to the instruction given Moses by the Lord, the tribe of Levi was not to be included in a military census (
Num. 1:47-49). Benjamin was probably omitted because that may have been the center of opposition to David’s plans for a greater army; and Joab, fearful of results if a forced census were taken, may have regarded discretion as the better part of valor.
1 Chronicles 21:7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
This statement is not in Samuel. Instead the following appears:
“David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people” (
2 Sam. 24:10). For the cause of the displeasure see on
1 Chron. 21:1.
1 Chronicles 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.
One of the admirable characteristics of David was his willingness, when convicted of wrong, to confess his guilt. Saul was not willing to pursue such a course.
Sin is never wise. It brings only evil and woe.
1 Chronicles 21:9 And the Lord spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,
According to
2 Sam. 24:11 the message came
“when David was up in the morning.” It was evidently during the night that David had suffered his severe remorse of conscience, and had confessed his sin before the Lord. The Lord heard David’s prayer and sent His answer through the prophet Gad.
The prophet Heman was also called
“the king’s seer” (
ch. 25:5). God had previously spoken to David through Gad (
1 Sam. 22:5). Gad was one of the writers who preserved an account of David’s reign (
1 Chron. 29:29).
1 Chronicles 21:10 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.
This was an unusual offer that the Lord set before David. Sin invited judgment, but David was given an opportunity to choose what that judgment would be.
1 Chronicles 21:12 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.
1 Chronicles 21:13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
David did not make a direct choice among the three judgments set before him. He preferred to have his case rest with God rather than with man. Since the Israelites were filled with the same spirit of pride that prompted David’s military plans, the punishment was permitted to come upon them as well as upon the king (
2 Sam. 24:1; PP 748).
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.
1 Chronicles 21:16 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.
Compare
Num. 22:31, which reports Balaam’s eyes being opened to see the angel of the Lord standing in the way.
The same description is given of the angel who stood in the way to intercept Balaam (
Num. 22:23).
1 Chronicles 21:17 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.
David took upon himself the responsibility for the command that the people be numbered. He frankly confessed his sin, and assumed the blame for the present calamity. God heard and forgave, and the evil was stayed.
1 Chronicles 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.
This was on Mt. Moriah. Here Abraham had erected an altar for the offering up of Isaac (
Gen. 22:1-14), and here the Temple was later erected by Solomon (
2 Chron. 3:1). Ornan is called Araunah in
2 Sam. 24:16.
1 Chronicles 21:22 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.
According to the record in Samuel, Ornan asked David why he had come to him, and he received from David the reply:
“To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord” (
2 Sam. 24:21).
1 Chronicles 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.
Ornan was willing to make every possible sacrifice on his part that the plague might be stayed.
1 Chronicles 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
Six hundred shekels of gold.
According to
2 Sam. 24:24,
“David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” According to
Gen. 23:16, 17, Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver to Ephron for the field containing the cave of Machpelah (see on
Gen. 23:15). Thus it would seem that 50 shekels was too low a price for the property of Ornan. It is possible that the 50 shekels was the price of the threshing floor and the oxen, and that these were only a portion of the total purchase (see on
2 Sam. 24:24).
1 Chronicles 21:26 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.
1 Chronicles 21:27 And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
The pestilence was symbolically represented by an angel with a drawn sword (
v. 16), the end of the plague by the restoring of the sword to the sheath.
1 Chronicles 21:29 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.
1 Chronicles 21:30 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.
The pestilence that had come upon the nation because of his transgression made David extremely cautious lest he again displease the Lord.