1 Chronicles 21
David pridefully takes census
Then Satan opposed Israel and provoked David to take a census. So David told Joab and the army commanders, "Go count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me the report so I can know their number." But Joab said, "May the Existing One grow his people one hundred times as many as they currently are! Don't they all belong to you, my lord? What's the point in counting them? It's not worth the guilt." * The king's opinion overrode Joab's, so Joab went and counted all of Israel. When he returned to Jerusalem he gave David the report:
Israel had 1,100,000 men who could fight, and Judah had 470,000 men who could fight. He didn't include Levi and Benjamin, because he was disgusted by the king's request.
God gives David 3 choices for punishment
God was displeased with what David did, so he struck Israel. David told God, "What I did was very wrong. Please take away the injustice of your servant, because I have acted foolishly." So the Existing One spoke to Gad (David's seer) saying, "Tell David, 'The Existing One offers you three options. Choose one, and I'll do it to you.'" So Gad told David, "The Existing One is giving you a choice between these three things:
three years of famine
three months of being overtaken in battle by your enemies
three days of the Existing One's sword: his angel wreaking havoc on all of Israel with a plague.’
Now make a decision and let me know what I should tell God." So David told Gad, "I am very distressed. Hand me over to the Existing One, because he is merciful, but don't let me fall into man's hand."
God sends plague, angel kills 70,000
So the Existing One sent a plague to Israel, and 70,000 of Israel's men died. God sent the angel to destroy Jerusalem, but just as he was about to destroy it, the Existing One eased up from the calamity. He told the angel, "Hold it right there; that's enough," and the Existing One's angel stood by Ornan the Jebusite's grain farm. David looked up and saw the Existing One's angel standing between earth and heaven with his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, wearing humble clothes, fell flat on their faces. David asked God, "Wasn't I the one who wanted to number the people? I'm the one who was out of line and did the wrong thing. These sheep haven't done anything! Please, Existing One my God, let your discipline fall on me and my lineage, but don't let this plague fall on your people."
David takes blame, offers sacrifices to God
Now the Existing One's angel ordered Gad to tell David to build an alter to the Existing One on Ornan the Jebusite's grain farm. So David did what Gad had told him. Ornan was there harvesting the wheat with his sons. When they turned around and saw the angel, all four of his sons hid themselves. As David approached, Ornan met David and paid homage to him with his face on the ground. David told Ornan, "Sell me this land at full price so I can build an alter to the Existing One and direct this plague away from the people." Ornan told David, "Take it, and let my king use it however seems good to him. I'll even give you the wood, the oxen, and the wheat for the offerings. Take anything you need." But King David replied, "No, but I'll buy them at full price. I won't offer the Existing One anything that belongs to you or costs me nothing." So David paid Ornan 15 pounds of gold for the site and built an alter there. He presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called out to the Existing One who answered him by sending fire from heaven to the altar. Then the Existing One gave orders to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
When David saw that the Existing One answered him at Ornan the Jebusite's grain farm, he offered sacrifices there. The Existing One's tabernacle (which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the altar for burnt offerings were both at the shrine in Gibeon, but David didn't go there and inquire of God because he was too scared of the angel's sword.
So David said, "This is where God the Existing One's house will be along with Israel's altar for burt offerings."
*Motivated by pride, David wanted to count God's people as if they belonged to him.