Satan, ever the enemy o of God's people, is named in Scripture 51 Times as Satan, which means "adversary." He is referred to as "the devil" 35 times; this name is from a word which means "to strike through,"—to stab with accusation, or to accuse. As the accuser of the brethren of the heavenly saints, Satan is referred to in Revelation 12:10, but several other titles are given him in the Word of God, such as the serpent, the dragon, the god of this world, the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and as Beelzebub the chief or prince of the devils (demons, for the word rightly translated "devil" in Scripture is always in the singular, and refers to Satan himself.
He is evidently the active head of the unseen powers of evil mentioned in Daniel 10:13; Eph. 6:12 and Col. 2:15, but they that be with us, who trust in the living God, whose Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ, are more than those with him, and in due time his power, always under God's control and used for the ultimate blessing of God's children, will be destroyed. (See Genesis 3:15; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; 1 Kings 18:17-46; 2 Kings 6:8-23; Heb. 2:14; Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:1-10, and many other Scriptures).
Satan's connection with what took place in this chapter is not mentioned in the earlier account in 2 Samuel 24, for there the public history is told, while we are here introduced into that which only God knew. Satan ever ready to attack the children of God was only the instrument, after all, for "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
David had for the time again got his eyes off God; natural pride, growing out of the expansion and prosperity of his kingdom, and the knowledge he had that the blessing of God rested on him, had possession of this generally godly man. And God Who loves those who are His children, must correct them when they need correction.
"What son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" Hebrews 12:7.
Of chastening, David could at once decide to take that which was directly God's dealing, rather than famine or foes. A pestilence therefore came upon Israel, and seventy thousand men died. Jerusalem itself is threatened, but mercy exceeds the merited judgment, and the destroying angel is told to stay his hand as he is at the threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite. David's humiliation is real, and confession follows: "Even I, it is that have sinned and done evil indeed Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, O Lord my God, be on me."
David is then directed to set up an altar unto the Lord in Oman's threshing floor —God giving him in grace the privilege of setting up the altar where the temple was afterward to be constructed, and meeting him with fire upon the altar he provided.
The tabernacle, still at Gibeon, and the whole legal system connected with it, were now definitely set aside, that the worship of Israel might be founded upon grace, connected with a sacrifice acceptable to God where all had failed. The antitype, that which is here illustrated, is the one sacrifice of Christ, of course.
It remains to speak of the differences between the accounts in 2 Samuel 24, and our chapter in certain numbers. The former gives the number of "valiant men that drew the sword" in Israel as 800,000; and the "men of Judah" as 500,000; while the latter states that there were of Israel 1,100,000 "men that drew sword," and of Judah 470,000 "men that drew sword." A moment's consideration of the terms will show that they express different facts, and that there is no contradiction.
Again, 2 Samuel 24:24 gives the purchase price of Araunah's threshing floor and oxen as 50 shekels of silver, but 1 Chronicles 21:25 tells us that David not only gave the "full price" (verse 24), but paid him in shekels of gold, the weight of 600,—far more than the purchase price, he no doubt realizing that the site was God's choice for the temple.