I Chronicles 21:1

See Chapter Introduction See Chapter Introduction 1 Chronicles 21:28 ch1 21:28 ch1 21:28 ch1 21:28At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor Of Ornan the Jebusite,.... The same with Araunah, Sa2 24:16, with some small variation of the letters, and are of the same signification; both signifying the "ornus", as Hillerus (m) observes, the pine tree or ash; see Isa 44:14, in whose threshingfloor David now was, and where he had been praying and sacrificing; and God had accepted his prayer, as the Targum, and had answered him, by causing fire to come down on the sacrifice and consume it, and by ordering the angel to put up his sword in its sheath: then he sacrificed there; again by the priests, and continued to do so, for he had sacrificed there before, Ch1 21:26 and finding his sacrifices in that place were acceptable, he repeated them, and did not go to Gibeon, as follows. (m) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 529, 530.

Numbering the people, one would think, was no bad thing. Why should not the shepherd know the number of his flock? But God sees not as man sees. It is plain it was wrong in David to do it, and a great provocation to God, because he did it in the pride of his heart; and there is no sin that has in it more of contradiction and therefore more of offence to God than pride. The sin was David's; he alone must bear the blame of it. But here we are told, I. How active the tempter was in it (Ch1 21:1): Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to do it. Is is said (Sa2 24:1) that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David to do it. The righteous judgments of God are to be observed and acknowledged even in the sins and unrighteousness of men. We are sure that God is not the author of sin - he tempts no man; and therefore, when it is said that he moved David to do it, it must be explained by what is intimated here, that, for wise and holy ends, he permitted the devil to do it. Here we trace this foul stream to its foundation. That Satan, the enemy of God and all good, should stand up against Israel, is not strange; it is what he aims at, to weaken the strength, diminish the numbers, and eclipse the glory of God's Israel, to whom he is Satan, a sworn adversary. But that he should influence David, the man of God's own heart to do a wrong thing, may well be wondered at. One would think him one of those whom the wicked one touches not. No, even the best saints, till they come to heaven, must never think themselves out of the reach of Satan's temptations. Now, when Satan meant to do Israel a mischief, what course did he take? He did not move God against them to destroy them (as Job, Job 2:3), but he provoked David, the best friend they had, to number t…

21:1–22:1 This account of the census closely parallels 2 Sam 24:1-25 but has an entirely different focus. The Chronicler’s account provides the context for the dedication of the altar and the preparations for building the Temple (1 Chr 22). 21:1 Satan (or the adversary) motivated David to take a census of his military forces (cp. 2 Sam 24:1). The Chronicler seems to interpret the narrative of Samuel in light of his theology of Satan as the adversary of God and humanity. As God allows Satan to work in the world, Satan unwittingly fulfills God’s purposes (cp. 2 Chr 18:3-34; Job 1:6–2:7; Zech 3:1-2; Matt 4:1-11; John 13:27; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 12:7; 1 Tim 1:20; Rev 20:3, 7-9).