1 CHRONICLES - CHAPTER 21
David Counts the People
v1 Satan acted against Israel, and he persuaded David to count the Israelites. v2 So, David spoke to Joab and the leaders of the army. ‘Go and count all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report to me. Then I will know how many there are.’ v3 But Joab said, ‘The people in this nation are the LORD’s. He can increase their numbers 100 times. My lord and king, the Israelites are all your servants. You should not want to do this, my lord. You will make Israel guilty of sin.’
COMMENTARY
VERSES 1-3
This account of David’s life misses a period of years. During that time, there had been the problems with his son Absalom and other crises. These events are in 2 Samuel chapters 13 to 23. They took about 20 years. The writer of Chronicles does not record them. The reason for this is that they did not match his purpose. He wanted to encourage the exiles as they returned from Babylon. So, he shows how God was in control of their history. The count in this chapter probably happened about 975 BC.
Satan hates God and all who trust in God. He was an enemy of Israel because the Israelites are God’s special people. He persuaded David to order this count. So, David ordered Joab to count the people from Beersheba to Dan. The phrase ‘Beersheba to Dan’ means the whole country of Israel from the south to the north.
We do not know why David wanted to count the people. It may have been because he was proud of himself. He wanted to know the extent of his power. It could have been for practical reasons. Perhaps he wanted to know how large an army he could have in a war. Or perhaps he had a scheme to tax the people in order to get money for the government.
It was not always wrong to count the people (for example, see Numbers chapters 1 and 26). But God had given Moses clear instructions about such counts (Numbers 3:47-48). Foreign kings might count their people for any reason. But the Israelites were different, because they were the LORD’s people. So when a leader counted the Israelites, he had to pay a price for their lives. He would do this by means of a tax that he collected from them at the same time. The leader could not keep that tax. He paid the money to the priests. They used it for the worship of God at the LORD’s tent (or afterwards, at the temple). God also told Moses that the Israelites must not count the tribe of Levi with the soldiers. That was because they belonged to God in a special way.
However, David did not obey God’s instructions about the count. Joab knew that it was wrong to count the people at this time. He was the commander of Israel’s army. Joab was a wicked man (1 Kings 2:5-6). But even he realized that David was not trusting God. Joab protested that the LORD could make Israel’s army strong enough for any battle. He urged David not to begin the count. Joab knew that the result would be punishment on Israel. The LORD was already angry against sin in Israel (2 Samuel 24:1). But David did what was wrong. He counted the people and he did not pay the price for their lives. So, the LORD punished him. And also, the people in Israel suffered as well.
Total Count of the People
v4 But the king still ordered Joab to go. So, Joab left, and he went through all of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. v5 Joab gave to David the total count of the people. There were 1,100,000 men in all of Israel who could use a sword. And there were 470,000 men in Judah who could use a sword. v6 But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin. He did not include these because the king’s order disgusted him. v7 God was angry at this count and so he punished Israel. v8 Then David spoke to God. ‘I have sinned greatly by what I have done. Now, please forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish.’
COMMENTARY
VERSES 4-8
David insisted that Joab must obey his order. He told Joab to go and Joab obeyed him. He and his officers went through all Israel. The task took them almost 10 months. Then they came and they gave to David the results of their count.
The total for all Israel was 1,100,000 men. This number included 300,000 men who were already in the army. (The number of the soldiers in 27:1-9 is 288 000 but with other officers this would be about 300,000. In the account in 2 Samuel 24:9, the total is 800,000 men. That total does not seem to include the men who were already in the army.)
David’s orders so disgusted Joab that he did not count all the tribes. He left out the tribes of Levi and Benjamin. Later David ordered a count of the tribe of Levi (23:3). Joab may have left them out because of their tasks in Israel’s religion (Numbers 1:47). If the count were for the purpose of taxes, this would not include the Levites. Also, they could not be soldiers. But there can be no such reason for him not to count Benjamin.
God was angry about the count and David now realized it. His conscience told him how wrong he had been. He confessed that he had sinned. Now he knew that he had been foolish. He asked God to forgive him. But in order to repent, it is not enough just to be sorry. A person must also turn away from sin. David had not paid the tax for the LORD’s tent or the temple. He had not paid the price for the lives of his men. And he had not given sacrifices so that God’s punishment would be against the animals instead of the people. So although David had asked God to forgive him, David’s wrong action would still have an effect. The result was that God punished Israel.
The Lord Spoke to David's Prophet
v9 The LORD spoke to David’s prophet, who was called Gad. v10 ‘Go and say this to David. “This is what the LORD says to you. I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it to you.” ’v11 So, Gad went to David and spoke to him. ‘This is what the LORD says to you. “Make your choice. v12 You can choose three years in which people will starve. Or you can choose three months in which you will have to run away from your enemies. They will chase you and they will attack you with their swords. Or you can choose three days of punishment from the LORD’s sword. That means that terrible disease will spread through the country. The angel of the LORD will go through Israel and he will kill many people.” Now tell me what you have decided. I must give an answer to the LORD, because he sent me to you.’ v13 David said to Gad, ‘I am in great trouble. Let the LORD punish me, because the LORD is very kind. Do not let people punish me.’
COMMENTARY
VERSES 9-13
God spoke to a man whose name was Gad. Gad was a prophet by means of whom God had spoken to David before. When David was hiding from Saul, Gad had advised him to go to Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). Later he helped David and Nathan to organize the Levites for the temple (2 Chronicles 29:25). Also he made a record of all the events that happened during the rule of David (1 Chronicles 29:29).
God chose this prophet, Gad, to speak to David on his behalf. By this means, God gave David three choices of punishment for his sin. David’s choices were three years, three months or three days.
---1. The first choice was three years of hunger in Israel. During those three years, many of the people would starve to death.
---2. The second choice was three months David would have to run away from his enemies.
---3. The third choice was three days of death by disease in Israel. In these three days, the angel of the LORD would move through the nation. He would kill many people.
Each of these punishments would reduce the number of people in Israel. So David’s count would not still be accurate. But David could see that it was right for God to punish Israel. David was still unwilling to do what God wanted him to do. God did not want to punish the Israelites, but David had still not paid the price for their lives. The prophet had told David about God’s judgment. But we do not yet read that David was praying for the people. And David was not offering sacrifices for them. God forgives when there is a sacrifice. That is because God’s judgment acts against the sacrifice instead of the person or people.
David chose the direct punishment of the LORD. David was wise not to trust people. They could be cruel and they would know no limits. But the LORD is a God of sympathy. He is a God who pities his people. The LORD would not punish more than was necessary. Israel could not avoid the punishment. 70,000 people died from a sudden, terrible disease.
A Terrible Disease
v14 So, the LORD sent a terrible disease into Israel. And 70,000 Israelites died. v15 God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it. He was very sorry because of the disaster. He spoke to the angel who was destroying it. ‘Stop, that is enough.’ The angel of the LORD stopped. He was standing at the yard where Araunah the Jebusite used to prepare his grain.
v16 David looked up and he saw the angel of the LORD. The angel was standing in the sky, between heaven and earth. The angel held his sword in his hand. He reached out with the sword over Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders fell with their faces to the ground. They wore rough clothes to show that they were sorry.
v17 David said to God, ‘I gave the order to count the people. I have sinned and I have been very wicked. These people followed me like sheep and they did nothing wrong. LORD my God, punish me and punish my family. But please stop the terrible disease that is killing your people.’ v18 Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to speak to David. He had to tell David to build an altar to the LORD. David had to go up to the yard where Araunah the Jebusite used to prepare his grain. David had to build the altar there. v19 So, David obeyed what the LORD had said. And he did what Gad told him to do.
v20 While Araunah was preparing his wheat, he turned round. And he saw the angel. His 4 sons who were with him hid themselves. v21 Then David came. As soon as Araunah saw him, he left the yard. And he came and he fell down with his face to the ground in front of David. v22 David said to him, ‘Sell me the yard where you prepare your grain. I will build there an altar to the LORD. Then the disease will stop and people will not die. Sell it to me at the proper price.’
v23 Araunah said to David, ‘Take it. Let my lord the king do what seems good to him. I will also give you oxen for the sacrifices by fire. Take the boards that I use to prepare the grain. Use them as wood for the fire. Use the wheat for the grain sacrifice. I give it all to you.’
v24 But King David said to Araunah, ‘No, I will pay the proper price for it all. I will not take for the LORD what is yours. I will not give him burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.’
v25 So, David paid Araunah 600 shekels weight of gold for the place. v26 David built an altar to the LORD there. He made whole sacrifices by fire and sacrifices for peace. He prayed to the LORD. The LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt sacrifices.
v27 Then the LORD told the angel to put his sword back into its holder. v28 At that time, David saw that the LORD had answered him there. So, David made sacrifices at the yard where Araunah the Jebusite used to prepare his grain. v29 Moses made the LORD’s tent while the Israelites were in the desert. That tent and the altar for burnt sacrifices were at the place of worship in Gibeon. v30 But David could not go there to speak with God. He was afraid of the angel of the LORD’s sword.
COMMENTARY
VERSE 15
The angel began to destroy Jerusalem. People were starting to die in the city. The angel got as far as the yard where Araunah was preparing his grain. But when the LORD saw this, he stopped the angel. David was right. The LORD is a God who has sympathy for his people. The LORD pities his people. So, he reduced the punishment for their sin.
VERSES 16-17
David and the leaders were repenting of their sin. They were genuinely humble. They came to the place in rough clothes. They were sorry for what they had done. When they saw the angel in the air, they fell down with their faces to the ground.
David spoke to God. Again, he confessed his sin. This time, he accepted the total blame for everything that had happened. The people did only what he told them to do. Therefore, he said that he alone was to blame. He prayed that God would the stop the punishment of the people. He and his family should take all the punishment. He was responsible for everything that had happened to the people.
VERSES 18-21
The angel of the LORD spoke to the prophet Gad. He told Gad to tell David to build an altar. Gad came to David. And he told him to build the altar at the place where Araunah prepared grain. That is, the place where the punishment stopped. David obeyed and he built the altar. But before he did, he had to buy the place.
Araunah was preparing his wheat. The count started in the autumn and it took almost 10 months. So, this was at the end of the wheat harvest.
The normal way to prepare grain was to spread it out on the special floor of a flat yard. Then a driver sent two oxen forward and back over the grain. The oxen pulled wooden boards on which the driver sat. The boards had three large wooden tubes with sharp points all over them. These tubes turned as the boards moved. Another person drew back the straw to separate it from the grain. They took the straw away. Then they threw what remained up in the air. The bits that were not grain blew away. This left only the grain on the floor. So the grain was now clean. And it was ready for people to store it.
Araunah saw the angel. His 4 sons hid from the angel. But Araunah did not hide. Then David arrived and Araunah stopped his work.
VERSES 22-26
David asked to buy the property so that he could build the altar there. Araunah would have given it to his king, but David insisted that he pay the proper price. He would not give to the LORD what was not his own. A sacrifice must cost the person who makes it. If there is no cost, it is not a sacrifice.
The sacrifices would be of two animals and grain. Araunah provided the oxen that he used to prepare the grain. A grain sacrifice always went with animal sacrifices. So, he gave his wheat for the grain sacrifice. And he told David to use his wooden boards to make the fire for the sacrifice by fire.
David bought the whole property. The price was 600 shekels weight of gold (about 15 pounds or 6.6 kilograms in weight). He bought the oxen and the special floor. For these he paid 50 shekels of silver (about 1 and a quarter pounds or 0.5 kilograms in weight) (2 Samuel 24:24). The property that Araunah owned was on Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah is the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:2). Solomon would later build the temple there. Then David built the altar and he prepared the sacrifices. Then he prayed to the LORD. The LORD sent fire from heaven to burn the sacrifice on the altar. This answer showed that God accepted the prayers and sacrifices of David.
VERSES 27-30
In answer to David’s prayer, the LORD told the angel to put his sword away. The LORD had stopped the disease. Now the angel would not destroy Jerusalem. And David continued to make sacrifices there to the LORD.
The holy tent at which the priests should make sacrifices was about 4 or 5 miles from Jerusalem. It was in Gibeon. But David had built an altar as the LORD had told him. He did not go to Gibeon then. But he continued to worship God in this place. He knew that by the sacrifices on this altar he had caused the angel to stop his work.
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