211 Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel. 2 David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, "Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number." 3 Joab resisted: "May God multiply his people by hundreds! Don't they all belong to my master the king? But why on earth would you do a thing like this - why risk getting Israel into trouble with God?" 4 But David wouldn't take no for an answer, so Joab went off and did it - canvassed the country and then came back to Jerusalem 5 and reported the results of the census: There were 1,100,000 fighting men; of that total, Judah accounted for 470,000. 6 Joab, disgusted by the command - it, in fact, turned his stomach! - protested by leaving Levi and Benjamin out of the census-taking.
7 And God, offended by the whole thing, punished Israel. 8 Then David prayed, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust; forgive my sin - I've been really stupid." 9 God answered by speaking to Gad, David's pastor: 10 "Go and give David this message: 'God's word: You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I'll do the rest.'" 11 Gad delivered the message to David: 12 "Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God - an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?" 13 David told Gad, "They're all terrible! But I'd rather be punished by God whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 21:1-13
Chapter Contents
David's numbering the people.
No mention is made in this book of David's sin in the matter of Uriah, neither of the troubles that followed it: they had no needful connexion with the subjects here noted. But David's sin, in numbering the people, is related: in the atonement made for that sin, there was notice of the place on which the temple should be built. The command to David to build an altar, was a blessed token of reconciliation. God testified his acceptance of David's offerings on this altar. Thus Christ was made sin, and a curse for us; it pleased the Lord to bruise him, that through him, God might be to us, not a consuming Fire, but a reconciled God. It is good to continue attendance on those ordinances in which we have experienced the tokens of God's presence, and have found that he is with us of a truth. Here God graciously met me, therefore I will still expect to meet him.