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 Beer-sheba 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? |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. |
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. |
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. |
20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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 inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD. |
21 David causes Joab to number the people, Ch1 21:1-6.
He repents, Ch1 21:7-8.
God gives him his choice of three judgments, and he chuses the pestilence, Ch1 21:9-13.
The havock made thereby: Jerusalem spared, Ch1 21:14-15.
David's prayer, Ch1 21:16-17.
His sacrifice and staying of the plague, Ch1 21:18-30.
21:1 Satan stood - Before the Lord and his tribunal to accuse David and Israel, and to beg God's permission to tempt David.Standing is the accusers posture before men's tribunals; andconsequently the holy scripture (which useth to speak of the things ofGod, after the manner of men, to bring them down to our capacities)elsewhere represent Satan in this posture.
21:3 Why, etc - Or, why should this be a cause of trespass, or an occasion of punishment to Israel? God commonly punishes the peoplefor the sins of their rulers, because they are for the most part guiltyof their sins in one kind or other; or at least God takes this occasionto punish people for all their sins.
21:6 Counted not - Partly for the following reason; and principally by God's gracious providence to Levi, because they were devoted to hisservice; and to Benjamin, because they were the least of all the tribes,having been almost extinct, Jdg 21:6, and because God foresaw thatthey would be faithful to the house of David in the division of thetribes, and therefore he would not have them diminished. And Joab alsopresumed to leave these two tribes unnumbered, because he had speciouspretences for it; for Levi, because they were no warriors, and theking's command reached only of those that drew sword. And forBenjamin, because they, being so small a tribe, and bordering uponJerusalem, might easily be numbered afterward.
21:7 Displeased - Because this was done without any colour of necessity, and out of mere curiosity, and ostentation.
21:14 There fell, etc - He was proud of the number of his people, but God took a course to make them fewer. Justly is that we are proud of so,taken from us, or embittered to us.
21:16 Sackcloth - In mourning garments, humbling themselves before God for their sins, and deprecating his wrath against the people.
21:18 Set up an altar, etc - The commanding of David to build an altar, was a blessed token of reconciliation. For if God had beenpleased to kill him, he would not have commanded, because he wouldnot have accepted a sacrifice at his hands.
21:20 Hid themselves - Because of the glory and majesty in which the angel appeared, which mens weak natures are not able to bear; and fromthe fear of God's vengeance which now seemed to be coming to their family.
21:25 Six hundred - We read, Ch1 24:24, he gave fifty shekels of gold: that is, he gave ingold the value of six hundred shekels of silver.
21:26 By fire - Heb. by fire sent from heaven: which was the sign of God's acceptance. The fire that might justly have fastened onthe sinner, fastened upon the sacrifice and consumed it. Thus Christwas made sin and a curse for us, and it pleased the Lord to bruise him,that through him God might be to us, not a consuming fire, but a reconciledFather.
21:28 Sacrificed - When he perceived that his sacrifice was acceptable to God, he proceeded to offer more sacrifices in that place.
21:30 Afraid - When he saw the angel stand with his drawn sword over Jerusalem, he durst not go away to Gibeon, lest the angel in themean time should destroy Jerusalem: for the prevention whereof hethought it proper to worship God in that place, which he had consecratedby his special presence and acceptance.