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LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let
me fall into the hand of man.”
15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from
24:1 Again. A second outbreak of the divine the morning till the appointed time. From Dan
wrath occurred after the 3-year famine record- to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the
ed in 21:1.against Israel.The inciting of David people died. And when the angel stretched
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to conduct a census was a punishment on out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the
Israel from the Lord for some unspecified sins. LORD relented from the destruction, and said
Perhaps sins of pride and ambition had led to the angel who was destroying the people,
him to increase the size of his army unneces- “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And
sarily and place heavy burdens of support on the angel of the LORD was by the threshing
the people.Whatever the sin,it is clear God was floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
dissatisfied with David’s motives, goals, and 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he
actions and brought judgment. He moved saw the angel who was striking the people, and
David. Satan incited David to take this census,
and the Lord sovereignly and permissively said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done
used Satan to accomplish His will (1 Chr.21:1). wickedly; but these sheep, what have they
number Israel and Judah. A census was usu- done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and
ally for military purposes, which seems to be against my father’s house.”
the case here (v. 9). Numbering the potential 18 And Gad came that day to David and said to
army of Israel had been done in the past (Num. him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the
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1:1,2; 26:1–4). However, this census of Israel’s threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So
potential army did not have the sanction of David, according to the word of Gad, went up as
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the Lord and proceeded from wrong motives. the LORD commanded. Now Araunah looked,
David either wanted to glory in the size of his and saw the king and his servants coming
fighting force or take more territory than what toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed
the Lord had granted him. He shifted his trust before the king with his face to the ground.
from God to military power (this is a constant 21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the
theme in the Psalms; see 20:7; 25:2; 44:6). king come to his servant?”
And David said, “To buy the threshing floor
to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the
the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. So 22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord
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when they had gone through all the land, they the king take and offer up whatever seems
came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt
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and twenty days. Then Joab gave the sum of sacrifice, and threshing implements and the
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the number of the people to the king. And yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king,
there were in Israel eight hundred thousand Araunah has given to the king.”
valiant men who drew the sword, and the men And Araunah said to the king, “May the
of Judah were five hundred thousand men. LORD your God accept you.”
And David’s heart condemned him after he Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I
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had numbered the people. So David said to the will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will
LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God
but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of with that which costs me nothing.” So David
Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” bought the threshing floor and the oxen for
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11 Now when David arose in the morning, the fifty shekels of silver. And David built there
word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, Da- an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offer-
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vid’s seer, saying, “Go and tell David, ‘Thus ings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded
says the LORD: “I offer you three things; choose the prayers for the land, and the plague was
one of them for yourself, that I may do it to withdrawn from Israel.
you.” ’ ” So Gad came to David and told him;
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and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine Psalm 68:7–10
come to you in your land? Or shall you flee 7 O God, when You went out before
three months before your enemies, while they Your people,
pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ When You marched through the
plague in your land? Now consider and see what wilderness, Selah
answer I should take back to Him who sent me.” 8 The earth shook;
14 And David said to Gad, “I am in great dis- The heavens also dropped rain at the
tress. Please let us fall into the hand of the presence of God;

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