This last section of the book records another occasion on which God withdrew his blessing from Israel this time because of David's sin (cf. 21:1-14). When David stopped trusting in Yahweh for protection and placed his confidence in his military personnel, God sent a serious disease that killed 70,000 men (v. 15).
". . . chapter 24 provides a fitting conclusion to the story of David by calling attention, once more and finally, not only to his ambition and pride, but also to his humility and remorse."316
"Every spiritual leader would do well to read this story once a year!"317
David probably ordered this census about 975 B.C.
"After the revolutions of both Absalom and Sheba it would have been reasonable for David to reassess his military situation against the possibility of similar uprisings or other emergencies."318
In support of this hypothesis is the fact that Joab and the army commanders were able to take over nine months to gather the population statistics (v. 8). This suggests a very peaceful condition in Israel that characterized David's later reign but not his earlier reign.
The writer of Chronicles wrote that Satan (perhaps an adversarial neighbor nation since the Heb. word satanmeans "adversary") moved David to take the census (1 Chron. 21:1). Yet in verse 1 the writer of Samuel said God was responsible. Both were true; God used an adversary to bring judgment on the objects of His anger (cf. Job. 1-2; Acts 2:23).319
". . . paradoxically, a divinely-sent affliction can be called a messenger of Satan' (2 Cor 12:7 . . .)."320
We can identify perhaps four levels of causality in verse 1. God was the final cause, the primary instrumental cause was Satan, the secondary instrumental cause was some hostile human enemies, and David was the efficient cause. The Lord was angry with Israel for some reason. He evidently allowed Satan to stir up hostile enemy forces to threaten David and Israel (cf. Job 1-2). In response to this military threat, David chose to number the people. David's choice was not his only option; he chose to number the people. He sinned because he failed to trust God. The Lord did not force David to sin.
Quite clearly David took the census to determine his military strength. Taking a census did not constitute sin (cf. Exod. 30:11-12; Num. 1:1-2). David's sin was apparently placing confidence in the number of his soldiers rather than in the Lord.
"For the Chronicler in particular [cf. 1 Chron. 27:23-24], . . . the arena of David's transgression appears to be that taking a census impugns the faithfulness of God in the keeping of His promises--a kind of walking by sight instead of by faith."321
"Register"(vv. 2, 4) literally means to "muster"in preparation for battle. Joab proceeded in a counterclockwise direction around Israel.322The territory described included but did not extend as far as all the territory that God had promised to Abraham. There appear to have been 800,000 veterans in Israel plus 300,000 recruits (cf. 1 Chron. 21:5). In Judah there was a total of 500,000. The figure of 470,000 in 1 Chronicles 21 probably omitted the Benjamites (cf. 1 Chron. 21:6). Remember that the Hebrew word elephcan mean either "thousand"or "military unit."Here it could very well mean military unit.323The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21 says that Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin because David's command was abhorrent to Joab (1 Chron. 21:6).
Joab wisely warned David of his folly (v. 3). Even such a man as Joab could see that what David planned to do was wrong. Nevertheless David chose to ignore his counsel (v. 4). He behaved as one who refuses to be accountable to anyone, which was easy for David to do since he was the king. The thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and He struck Israel (1 Chron. 21:7).
Apparently the census was complete before David acknowledged that he had sinned. Finally guilt for his pride penetrated his heart, and he confessed his sin and asked God for forgiveness (v. 10). This response shows David at his best, as "the man after God's own heart."God graciously gave the king some choice about how He would punish the nation (v. 13). I believe that this is the only instance in Scripture where God gave someone the option of choosing his own punishment. Because David was the head of the nation his actions affected all Israel as well as himself personally. David's choice was whether he wanted a long, mild punishment or a short, intense one. He chose to leave the punishment in God's hands because he had learned that God is merciful (v. 14).
"War would place the nation at the mercy of its enemies: famine would make it dependent on corn-merchants, who might greatly aggravate the misery of scarcity: only in the pestilence--some form of plague sudden and mysterious in its attack, and baffling the medical knowledge of the time--would the punishment come directly from God, and depend immediately upon His Will."324
The rabbis assumed that David's reasoning was as follows.
"If I choose famine the people will say that I chose something which will affect them and not me, for I shall be well supplied with food; if I choose war, they will say that the king is well protected; let me choose pestilence, before which all are equal."325
An angelic messenger from God again brought death to many people throughout all Israel (cf. Exod. 12:23). The Angel of the Lord may have been the preincarnate Christ, but he could have simply been an angelic messenger whom God sent.326Evidently God gave David the ability to see the angel who was killing the people as the angel entered Jerusalem prepared to kill more innocent victims of David's sin there (v. 17; cf. 2 Kings 6:17). David asked God to have mercy on the people since he was the sinner responsible for the punishment. He failed to appreciate the extent of the effects of his act when he ordered the census. Note David's shepherd heart in his reference to his people as "sheep"(v. 17).
"His is even willing to suffer (die?) for the sake of the sheep (v. 17)!"327
"Wanting more land and more people to rule, David finds himself with 70,000 fewer subjects."328
"Sin is really a selfish act. It's all about bringing ourselves pleasure caring little about the toll it will take on someone else."329
David proceeded to offer sacrifices in response to Gad's instructions (v. 18). David needed to commit himself again to God (the burnt offering) and to renew his fellowship with God (the peace offering, v. 25). God instructed him to present these sacrifices at the place where He had shown mercy (v. 16). David willingly obeyed (v. 19).
Araunah (Ornan, 1 Chron. 21) was a native Jebusite so probably his land had never been sanctified (set apart) to Yahweh as other Israelite land had (cf. v. 23; note "Yahweh yourGod"). David purchased the threshing floor for one and one-quarter pounds of silver. He insisted on purchasing the threshing floor because a sacrifice that costs nothing is no sacrifice at all (cf. Mark 12:43-44). The incident recalls Abraham's purchase of the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23:3-15), and it anticipates King Omri's purchase of a hill on which he built another capital, Samaria (1 Kings 16:23-24). The situations involving Abraham and David were both desperate. This spot was to become the site of Solomon's temple.
"At the same site where Abraham once held a knife over his son (Gen. 22:1-19), David sees the angel of the Lord with sword ready to plunge into Jerusalem. In both cases death is averted by sacrifice. The temple is established there as the place where Israel was perpetually reminded that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). Death for Isaac and for David's Jerusalem was averted because the sword of divine justice would ultimately find its mark in the Son of God (John 19:33)."330
"Small wonder, then, that the NT should begin with a record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. . .'"331
The writer probably recorded this incident not only because it accounts for the origin of the site of Solomon's temple, but because it illustrates a basic theological truth taught throughout the book. Whenever someone whom God has chosen for special blessing sins he or she becomes the target of God's discipline, and he or she also becomes a channel of judgment to others. Only repentance will turn the situation around. When David agreed to obey God's will revealed through Gad, he began at once to become a source of blessing again.
"No one need aspire to leadership in the work of God who is not prepared to pay a price greater than his contemporaries and colleagues are willing to pay. True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid."332
Much blessing came to Israel through the land David bought from Araunah the Jebusite. The fact that it was a threshing floor is interesting, too, since people threshed the blessing of fertility.
As mentioned previously, the writer composed this last major section of Samuel (chs. 21-24) in a chiastic structure. Here is a similar diagram of it.
AFamine from Saul's sin 21:1-4 (narrative)
BMilitary heroes and victories 21:15-22 (list)
CDavid's psalm praise of God ch. 22 (poem)
C'David's tribute in praise of God 23:1-7 (poem)
B'Military heroes and victories 23:8-39 (list)
A'Pestilence from David's sin ch. 24 (narrative)
Hebrew writers often used this chiastic literary structure to unify several different parts around one central concept. Here the center is quite clearly Yahweh. Praise of God reflects a right relationship to Him. This relationship results in blessing (strength, victories, etc.). When one is unfaithful to God, the result is judgment, famine, and pestilence.
Within each of these six final sections there is also a conflict. Saul and his sons conflict with David and Mephibosheth (21:1-14). The Philistine giants conflict with David's warriors (21:15-22). Evil and arrogant enemies of God conflict with righteous covenant-keepers (ch. 22). The blessed conflict with the worthless (23:1-7). Israel's enemies conflict with David's men (23:8-39). Finally David conflicts with Joab and Araunah (ch. 24).
All of Saul's sons perished except Mephibosheth because Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, was in covenant relationship to David, a covenant-keeping son of Yahweh. The Philistine giants perished because God was with David. David's psalm recalls Hannah's psalm (1 Sam. 2:1-10). In both of these prayers the contrast between the arrogant and the humble before God stands out. David received the Davidic Covenant because of God's sovereign choice and David's typical obedience. God raised up and empowered many mighty men because David walked before God submissively. The nation suffered when David got away from God but prospered when he got right with God.
