1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
Under David’s leadership, Israel is moving toward Godlessness again. So David takes a census. None of this seems to make sense on the surface.
First, why is God asking David to take a census? Is God asking him? Who is the “he” referring to?
When we look at the KJV translation, it seems they have deciphered the “he” as God, by capitalizing the “He”. But if we go to 1 Chronicles 21:1, it tells us this: And satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. Which is it?
The easiest way to see this is through a biblical principle found in Job 1:6-12:
6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” 9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
God does not tempt or entice, but does allow it to happen. In other words, God is in control of the situation and inspires us, during our temptations and turmoils to turn back to his strength. In David’s case, God is allowing satan to operate in this capacity, but God is still in control of it, because Israel is falling away.
Now, what about the census? Is there anything wrong with that? In ancient culture, a person was only allowed to inventory the things they owned. Israel doesn’t belong to David, it belongs to God. So David, enticed by satan into completing the census of Judah, is doing it at the bequest of satan, not God.
2 So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”
From Dan to Beersheba is a colorful term for the entire kingdom. Dan was the northernmost point and Beersheba the southernmost point. David’s aim is to count all of the men who would be available for conscription.
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?” 4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
Joab actually speaks to David’s spiritual core. Should you be doing this? Like David’s dalliance with Bathsheba, David seems to have a plan in motion and blows through the stop signs in order to achieve it.
5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand. 10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” After the tally is complete, David understands his error. The problem was pride and he fell headlong into it, believing the people of Israel were his own.
A census in of itself isn’t a bad thing, but the census was not required by God. David did it on his own. He wanted to record the opulence of his kingdom. He wanted to see how large and powerful it was. It has nothing to do with God, but with his own ego. Satan is allowed by God to entice David, but David had the choice to make. His choice leaned toward pride.
11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” 13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
One of the hallmarks of David is that when he understands he has sinned against God, he knows there is a price to pay.
1. Three years of famine on the land: This is a long punishment, given not only to him but to the whole of Israel. 2. Three months of fleeing from your enemies: This consequence affects David and not necessarily Israel. 3. Three days of plague: This is a quick punishment for he and the land of Israel.
You may notice that the first two choices are designed so that David could escape a fate. In option 1, David could store up food and resources so the plague would not affect him as greatly as the population. In option 2 David could protect himself with soldiers and resources. Those who died or were in danger would be his mighty men. So his decision is to choose the third option (Let us fall into the hands of the Lord), because he knows it is the only option for mercy.
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
One of the first things we forget when tragedy comes our way is that God is still in charge. Even though this fast-moving plague is devastating, God doesn’t prolong it any more than necessary. The people of Israel, David included, must learn that God is bringing the devastation and the one hope is to turn back to Him.
17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.”
David realizes it was his own sin that started to horrible series of events. He is willing to take the blame for it, but it isn’t just him. Everyone in this scenario has a choice, a free will to do what they want. Perhaps all of this is eluding to the truth of 1Samuel 12: if the king follows God and the people follow the king, the land will be blessed.
18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
David has an opportunity to listen to God or not. He chooses to do so. The prophet Gad instructs him to build an altar in a very specific spot. This spot is important. It is on Mount Moriah (1 Chronicles 3:1). It is in the same area where Abraham offered Issac for a sacrifice (Genesis 22:2) and the same area where Jesus was crucified.
21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” 22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
Araunah is a good man who simply wants to please God by donating the land to David. But David isn’t after the best deal. He desires to please God because “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
The 70,000 deaths in Israel did not atone for the sin; proper sacrifice and offering did. He atones for sin (burnt offerings) and fellowship (peace) offerings. Because David desired to please God and atone for his sins and those of Israel, it was accepted by God, the plague ended and David could return to Israel as its king.