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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 21
David sins by numbering Israel—The Lord sends pestilence upon the
people—David sacrifices and the plague is stayed.
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1 AND
aSatan stood up against Israel, and
bprovoked David to number
Israela.
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.
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1a Satan stood up against Israel, and
provoked David to number Israel Wherein was David's sin in
numbering Israel? Under his leadership, Moses had once so numbered
Israel. Was it a sin to take a census or number Israel? No, not in itself.
The sin lie in the manner and purpose of the numbering of Israel. David had
been growing in self pride and vainity before God in manner of how David's
victories had been so recorded and taken credit for by David instead of
honoring the hand of God in them and in all things. Now here David steps one
step further beyond his own vainity and deliberately follows the influence of
Satan to do this thing so that David might know the size of his nation and
particularly the size of Israel's 'standing' armed forces. For David was
lifted up in the pride of his kingdom which he did take the credit for and
in his desire for power and expansion according to the strength of his
army in Israel. There is a point when one who does build a great nation
unto the Lord, 'forsakes' the Lord in it, and determines to build the nation
unto himself. Power corrupts and absolute corrupts absolutely. David in his
Empire building was stepping beyond the confines of acting in submission to
God. David like others before him had assumed this unto himself as King of
Israel. Thus is the vainity of pride and power and it is also that which would
lead David into presuming the authority to take/steal another's wife from
him and to become complisite in murder to cover up the sin of such vainity
of it being 'good to be the powerful king to rule unrighteously over the
people.'
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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.
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5 ¶ And Joab gave the sum of the number of the
people unto David. And all they of Israel were a
athousand 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.
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7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore
he asmote Israel.
8 And David said unto God, I have
asinned 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.
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9 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's
aseer, 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.
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11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
12 Either athree 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.
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14 ¶ So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
15 aAnd 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.
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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.
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18 ¶ Then the aangel of the
LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an
altar unto the LORD in the bthreshingfloor 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.
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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.
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25 So David gave to Ornan for the place
asix hundred shekels of gold by bweight.
26 And David built there an aaltar
unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called
upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by bfire
upon the altar of burnt offering.
27 And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
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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 atabernacle 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
bGibeon.
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.
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