Micah 6 and 7

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1 Chronicles 21

New International Version

David Counts the Fighting Men

21 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

Satan rose up against Israel!  The devil wants the most!  He used king David but his eyes were ultimately on the people of Israel.  The enemy does not just want to destroy you, he wants to destroy all you are connected to.  David commands the official under him to take an assignment that he did not have God's approval to do.  When we lead, we must always pray and seek God for the good of his people before we do anything.

3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over.My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

Even though Joab is under David's authority, he spoke up.  He approached David by saying may God multiply what you have, but please don't ask us to do this non-sense thing.  This was new and the people knew that something was not right in what Davis was commanding.  David had a copy of how God allowed his people to be counted, however, David wanted the count without God's instructions.  When we are leading God's people we cannot change the slightest element of God's word.

4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. 7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

Joab returned after doing most of David commanded.  Joab detested doing the part he did and he purposefully did not obey all that David said to do.  It took 9 months and a few days to censer all of what was censused.  David was responsible for what he demanded.  Although Joab and the leaders did not do all of what David directed, they perhaps were able to explain why they left part of the instructions out. 

8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

David felt guilty.  He perhaps saw how tired the men were.  It did not dawn on David how foolish his command was until now.  When we seek God, we avoid unnecessary conflict imputed on others.  David was the leader but  David is not God.

9 The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “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.’”

Although David felt guilty, God was going to punish him anyway.  It is not enough to feel guilty about our wrong.  God heard David's plea, but he ignored his guilty cry and sent a trustworthy man who David knew had a word from God.  Gad, the man God sent told David exactly what God said.

11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away[a]before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

David had 3 choices. 3 years, 3 months, or 3 days were the length of time he could pick from.  All choices that God gave him was deadly.

13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

David chose 3 days of torture from God.  It was hard to choose. David knew if God was reprimanding himself,  it would be just.  David said I would rather be punished by God any day than to be in the hand of men.

14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah[b] the Jebusite.

God had mercy.  God is full of mercy.  Even when he could destroy the whole world, he continues to save somebody in the midst of his wrath.  The angel carried out God's wrath without a doubt.  Angels are not emotional beings, although they are excited when a person turns to God; then they get excited and joy can be heard of that one soul who turned to God's word. Crying does not move God's angels, the sight of blood does not cause an angel to stop imputing punishment, etc.  Angels were made to carry out God's assignment.  Unless they hear a word from God, they will continue to bring destruction on any body God assigns.

16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd,[c] have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

David sees the destruction in the land.  The leaders with David also see the wrath of God.  All with David fall down before God. David begs God to stop.  David pleas with God to turn his wrath on him and his family.  David was wrong in the beginning, but now David is asking for mercy on behalf of the people he led.  This showed David is not selfish.  David is willing to lose his life instead of what he saw happening to people who were innocent.  Leaders are not celebrities of men.  They carry a deadly position if they are not corrected.  God could have selected David only to chastise, but he chose the people who held David in authority.  God never wanted us to be led by men.  When we allow men to lead us, we suffer greatly.

David Builds an Altar

18 Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.

An altar must be built immediately.  There was no time to travel to an altar already standing.  God wanted the hand of David to touch an animal with blood so that he could not only see God's wrath but feel God's anger.  God wanted David to warn us, that if we do as David did, deadly consequences will be the outcome.  God commanded a new altar.  He wanted David to start the process over.  Other commentaries state that this is the same place that Abraham used to build an altar to sacrifice his son Isaac, and this will be the same spot Jesus will be crucified. David was an image of Christ, but today he was an image gone wrong.  Blood had to be shed from the hand of David through an animal sacrifice.

20 While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

Araunah was doing his job.  David walked in and he stopped and turned to reverence David.  Araunah had sons who were present also.  The sons stopped what they were doing and hid.  Our children should be a part of what we do.  This shows Arahunah was doing something worth teaching to his children, and he stopped long enough to be in the presence of a king who was sent by God to speak to him.

22 David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”

David asked to buy the threshing floor.  He did not overstep his authority and he did not ask for it for free or for a discounted price.  David knew God wanted it and it had to come with no strings attached.  When we see something we want, we are to pay the right price or value for it.  This shows we respect what is being sold and we hold dignity and rightfulnowner ship of our purchase.

23 Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”

24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

25 So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels[d] of gold for the site.26 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

David paid full price even the seller offered it for free.  Araunah could have insisted on giving it for free but he did not.  Perhaps if David had taken it for nothing, Araunah perhaps would have bragged on what he gave David.  God was not having it.  Pay for it and dedicate it to me.  I want all minds clear in this process.  Acknowledge you were wrong, start the process of repentance, find a place that will cost you something, remove anyone from the offering you want to offer, all in all become one with me without favors and I will in return accept what YOU offered me.

27 Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.29 The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

David did the unheard of in Israel.  This was not David's normal conduct.  David had a perfect heart toward God and this evil move he made was being tarnished by Satan.  God wanted David with a clear conscience.  God showed David that numbering Israel was evil.  Why did God make a big deal of this act of David? God did not want what seem to be okay to be tampered with. David did other things that were wrong, some deadly sins are on David's resume'.  In this chapter, God is underlining that he will not tolerated any advice from Satan.  If satan brings a plan, destroy it immediately.  God is showing us in this passage that reasoning in our minds against his Word is dangerous.  And if you are a leader, do not use people without a clear plan of why you are asking them to serve you.