1 CHRONICLES LESSON 24


     We will begin this lesson in I Chronicles 21:1 "And Satan stood
up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel."

     The following is a statement about the same thing. II Samuel 24:1
"And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he
moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah."  It
appears, the sin in the lives of the people of Israel had brought on
this attack. The temptation to number them came to David, and he
succumbed to the temptation.  This is the first time in the Old
Testament to see the name Satan.

     I Chronicles 21:2 "And David said to Joab and to the rulers of
the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring
the number of them to me, that I may know [it]."

     This numbering was not ordered by the LORD. Perhaps, David wanted
them numbered, to see if everyone was paying their taxes. He could
have wanted them numbered, to see how large an army he could put
together.  The reason does not matter. This will greatly displease the
LORD. Joab was in control of his army, so he headed up the census
taking.

     I Chronicles 21:3 "And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an
hundred times so many more as they [be]: but, my lord the king, [are]
they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this
thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?"

     It appears, from this, that David counted all the people as his
servants. Joab tried to persuade David not to do this. He was afraid
it would anger the LORD, and cause Him to punish Israel. He was
telling David it did not matter how many they were, they all were his
servants. This was one time David should have listened to Joab. The
sad thing was that many times the king would sin, and all the people
suffered the punishment.

     I Chronicles 21:4 "Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against
Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and
came to Jerusalem."

     Even though Joab did not want to do this, he had to obey the
orders of his king. We read in 2 Samuel chapter 24, that it took nine
months and twenty days to take the census.

     I Chronicles 21:5  "And Joab gave the sum of the number of the
people unto David. And all [they of] Israel were a thousand thousand
and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah [was] four
hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword."

     This is saying there were 1,100,000 men of Israel who drew the
sword and 470,000 men of Judah who drew sword. This is a different
figure than the count in 2 Samuel chapter 24. We will not belabor that
here. The main thing is he numbered them, and God did not want him to
do it.

     I Chronicles 21:6 "But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among
them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab."

     There is no reason given for Joab not numbering Benjamin, or
Levi, except that he was totally opposed to the census. Levi was not
counted, probably, because their men did not go to war, or pay taxes.
The only thing I can think of about Benjamin, is the fact that he had
been reduced to a very small number. These are just suppositions, not
fact.

     I Chronicles 21:7 "And God was displeased with this thing;
therefore he smote Israel."

     We know that David's conscience had gripped him so greatly, that
he began to grieve at the sin he had committed. We read earlier that
God was already angry with the people was why he allowed David to be
tempted in this way. The punishment of a king comes on the people who
are his subjects, as well as the king.

     I Chronicles 21:8 "And David said unto God, I have sinned
greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do
away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly."

     David immediately repented and asked God to remove the sin. We
are not certain whether some punishment had already begun upon the
people, or not. We do know David was greatly grieved.

     I Chronicles 21:9  "And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer,
saying," I Chronicles 21:10 "Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the
LORD, I offer thee three [things]: choose thee one of them, that I may
do [it] unto thee."

     David's seer is, also, called the prophet, Gad. The LORD always
cares for His people. He heard the cry for forgiveness from David, and
now sends the prophet with a message to him. The LORD will give David
the option of three different punishments he could take. He will
definitely be punished for this, but he will choose which punishment.

     I Chronicles 21:11 "So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus
saith the LORD, Choose thee"  I Chronicles 21:12 "Either three years'
famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that
the sword of thine enemies overtaketh [thee]; or else three days the
sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of
the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore
advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me."

     Any of the three would be terrible to bear. It appears, since
David was trying to find the number of subjects he had, as if they
were his possession, the LORD will take some of the people in either
punishment. David must decide which would be the less painful. This
would be a difficult to choice to make. Perhaps, he would prefer the
one that would be over the fastest. It would, also, place himself into
the hands of the LORD, rather than their enemies around them.

     I Chronicles 21:13 "And David said unto Gad, I am in a great
strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great
[are] his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man."
I Chronicles 21:14  "So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and
there fell of Israel seventy thousand men."

     Even in the face of the punishment which David knew he deserved,
he still wanted whatever punmishment was to come to be inflicted by
the LORD. He knew the LORD was full of mercy. As bad as the loss of
the 70,000 men was, it was, probably, less than they would have had
from war, or famine. This was soon over.

     I Chronicles 21:15 "And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to
destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented
him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough,
stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite."

     God sent a destroying angel to perform the punishment on the
people. He was so displeased with David, and in fact, all Israel that
He was about to allow the angel to destroy Jerusalem. God's wrath
subsided, and He changed His mind about destroying Jerusalem. God
started the killing by the angel, and now, He stops it. Jerusalem is
the city of God. This was His place of fellowship with mankind. The
angel was between heaven and earth. I believe the threshingfloor of
Ornan was the point at which the destruction stopped.

     I Chronicles 21:16 "And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the
angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a
drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and
the elders [of Israel, who were] clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their
faces."

     We have discussed before that sackcloth was a sign of great
mourning. When David's spiritual eyes were opened, and he saw the
angel with the drawn sword over Jerusalem, he and the elders fell on
their faces before their LORD.

     I Chronicles 21:17 "And David said unto God, [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, and on my father's
house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued."

     David takes total responsibility for the sin of numbering the
people. He speaks to God, and asks Him to remove the punishment from
the people for the sin he, himself, had committed. David is willing to
take whatever punishment God has for him, but pleads for his subjects.

     I Chronicles 21:18  "Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to
say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the
LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite."

     This is where Abraham had taken Isaac to sacrifice him to the
LORD. We, also, know that God stayed his hand, and did not allow him
to do this. This is supposed to be the spot where Abraham met
Melchizedek and gave him a tithe. This would later be in the area of
the temple. This particular site was a very special place. God wants
David to build an altar in this spot where so many wonderful meetings
with God and man had been previously made.

     I Chronicles 21:19 "And David went up at the saying of Gad, which
he spake in the name of the LORD."

     David immediately obeyed the LORD. He knew that Gad was bringing
him God's message.

     I Chronicles 21:20 "And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and
his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat."

     The fear of the LORD had gripped Ornan. He and his sons were
aware of the judgement of God on the people for the sin of David and
they were afraid they would be killed too, so they hid.

     I Chronicles 21:21 "And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and
saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to
David with [his] face to the ground."

     Ornan recognized his king, and he came to find what he wanted. It
was a custom to bow to the king.

     I Chronicles 21:22 "Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place
of [this] threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the
LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may
be stayed from the people."

     David had immediately come to buy the threshingfloor, where God
had told him to build an altar. David did not want Ornan to give it to
him. He wanted to pay full price to Ornan for the threshingfloor. He
explained to Ornan the purpose of his desire for the threshingfloor,
was to build an altar to the LORD there. He, also, expresses the
urgency of the matter by telling him this was to stop the plague.

     I Chronicles 21:23 "And Ornan said unto David, Take [it] to thee,
and let my lord the king do [that which is] good in his eyes: lo, I
give [thee] the oxen [also] for burnt offerings, and the threshing
instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it
all."

     Ornan was concerned about the plague, also. He was willing to
give the threshingfloor to David for the purpose of putting up an
altar there. He was even willing to give him the oxen for the
sacrifice, as well.

     I Chronicles 21:24 "And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will
verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take [that] which
[is] thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost."
I Chronicles 21:25 "So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred
shekels of gold by weight."

     It would not have been an offering from David, if the expense of
the offering had been paid for by Ornan. David wanted this offering to
be his. It must cost him his own money for the offering to be his.
David wanted to pay, and must pay for this offering to be from him.
This shekel was a half ounce of gold. This means that David paid him
300 ounces of gold for the whole thing. At present prices of about
$400.00 per ounce, this would figure $120,000.  We can see this was a
large amount to pay.

     I Chronicles 21:26 "And David built there an altar unto the LORD,
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the
LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt
offering."

     This answering by fire would have been similar to the fire that
came from heaven in Elijah's day. The burnt and peace offering were
accepted of God. This, probably, means that fire from heaven came and
consumed the burnt offering.

     I Chronicles 21:27 "And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put
up his sword again into the sheath thereof."

     This is an unusual saying. Perhaps, even David saw the angel put
his sword, that had been drawn for destruction, into his sheath. The
plague is stayed.

     I Chronicles 21:28  "At that time when David saw that the LORD
had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he
sacrificed there." I Chronicles 21:29 "For the tabernacle of the LORD,
which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt
offering, [were] at that season in the high place at Gibeon."

     The temple will be built on this sight many years later by
Solomon, David's son. This would be the place of sacrifice, as long as
David lived. God had met with David, showing him where he wanted to
meet with him.

     I Chronicles 21:30 "But David could not go before it to inquire
of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the
LORD."

     This is speaking of David not going to Gibeon. God had shown
David where He wanted him to sacrifice.






                      1 Chronicles 24 Questions


1.  Who stood up against Israel?
2.  What did David do, that was displeasing to God?
3.  Why did David want the people numbered?
4.  Who was to lead the numbering?
5.  How did he feel about the numbering?
6.  What did he say to David about the numbering?
7.  How long did it take for the census?
8.  How many men of Israel did they count of the age to go to war?
9.  How many men of Judah did they count?
10. Why did he not count the Levites, or the Benjamites?
11. How did God show his displeasure?
12. In verse 8, what did David say to God?
13. Who was David's seer?
14. What was another name for him, besides seer?
15. What offer of punishment did God make to David?
16. Why did God take some of David's people in any of the three
    punishments?
17. Why do you suppose David chose the one he did?
18. How many people died from the punishment of the LORD?
19. Who did God send to Jerusalem?
20. What does verse 15 say, that God did to stop Him from letting the
    angel destroy Jerusalem?
21. When David lifted up his eyes, what did he see?
22. What did David and the elders do when David saw this?
23. How were David and the elders dressed?
24. In verse 17, who did David blame for this?
25. What did the angel of the LORD tell Gad to tell David?
26. What other things had happened at this particular spot?
27. What did David do, when Gad gave him the message?
28. What did Ornan do, when he saw David?
29. Why would David not take the place as a gift from Ornan?
30. How much did David pay Ornan?
31. How did David know his offering was accepted of God?
32. What would Solomon build here later on?
33. How long will David sacrifice here?