Chapter 147. 2 Samuel 24. 1 Chronicles 21. The Numbering of the People.
DAVID now had rest from his enemies. He and his people Israel were prosperous, for God had fulfilled His promises to them. But, like a great many of God’s people, as soon as the difficulties and trials ceased, the Israelites forgot God. The one great enemy of souls—Satan—who never slumbers, but is ever watching for an occasion to bring shame upon the name of the Lord, found it easy to cause them to sin. The Word tells us to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. In this only is our safety, for if we ask Him, the Lord will keep us from Satan and our own evil hearts.
We are not told what the sin of the children of Israel was at that time, but God’s anger was aroused against them and He must chastise them. He allowed David’s pride to act. The king thought of all his power and possessions, and riches, and he felt pleased with his own greatness. Instead of being thankful for it, remembering that he was but a shepherd when called of God to rule His people, he became very proud. This we know is an abomination in the sight of God.
David called Joab, and told him to go and count all the people in the kingdom that he might know how many there were. Joab knew that this was wrong. Moses had commanded that when God numbered the people, each man was to give half a shekel for a ransom for his soul that there might be no plague among them. But it was not for God that David wished to do this, but for himself that he might boast of his fine army. Neither did he bring any offering unto the Lord. Although Joab, his captain, was not a God-fearing man, he felt that it was not worthwhile to disobey God when nothing was to be gained by it. But David persisted in doing so. It took them nine months and twenty days to count the people. There were eight hundred thousand warriors in Israel and five hundred thousand in Judah.
As soon as Joab had brought the returns to David, he (David) felt how he had sinned, and was very sorry for it. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.”
But God could not pass over sin, and He must make David feel what he had done. So He sent the prophet Gad to him with a very sad message. David was offered one of three things—seven years of famine, three months to flee from his enemies, or three days’ pestilence upon the land. David felt it hard to make a choice, but he knew God’s grace, and answered, “Let us fall into the hand of the Lord; for His mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.”
Then the Lord sent a pestilence among the people. It was a fearful time for Israel when God sent the destroying angel among them. David had been proud of the number of his subjects, and now God took very many away to humble David’s heart. But the Israelites, too, were then bearing God’s anger for their sin. A plague is a fearful thing. When it rages in a place, people die by the hundreds every day. They are ill a very little time. One hour they are well and the next hour they are dead. All the houses are shut up and everybody trembles with fear thinking “Perhaps I shall die next.” Three days just such a plague lasted in Canaan. Seventy thousand men died. The angel went through the country destroying wherever he went; and at last he came to Jerusalem. God loved this city; He had chosen it for the place where His altar was to be built. When the angel stretched his hand to destroy it, God said, “It is enough; stay now thine hand.”
David, who lived in Jerusalem, looked up and saw the angel standing between heaven and earth with a drawn sword in his hand. The sword was over Jerusalem, ready to strike and destroy it. Then David and the elders of Israel who were dressed in sack cloth, fell on their faces, and David said, “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; but not on Thy people, that they should be plagued.”
God heard David’s prayer and sent Gad with a message to David to build an altar at the very place where the angel’s hand was stayed. It was over a threshing floor belonging to a man named Ornan, or Araunah, a Jebu site. Immediately David arose and went to obey the word of the Lord. Oman, who was threshing, had also seen the angel. In fear, his four sons, who were with him, had hidden themselves. When Oman saw David coming with his servants, he went to meet his king and bowed with his face to the ground, and inquired why the king had come to visit him. David told him he wanted to buy his threshing floor to build there an altar unto the Lord, that the plague might be stayed. Araunah (or Oman) would gladly have given it, and even the oxen for the burnt offerings, but David would not have it so. He would not offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing; he would pay the full price for it. So he bought the whole place, with the oxen for the burnt offering, for six hundred shekels of gold by weight. Then he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings unto the Lord. And God accepted David’s sacrifices, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
May we all, when we have displeased God, do as David did, go to Him in simple trust and with humility confess our sin. God will never turn us aside, but He will restore our souls, and we know, for Scripture tells us, that “The blood of Jesus Christ, His (God’s) Son, cleanseth us from all (or every) sin,” and “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (¤ Jno. 1:7, 97The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)
9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9).)
ML 01/02/1916