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The Material here is repeated from II Samuel 24.
Chapter 21 records, again, the census that David took at Satan's urging, David's sorrow and repentance and the pestilence that was David's choice of the three possible judgments that came upon the country as God's judgment for David's disobedience.
Normally the "numbering of the people" would not be a sin, but here it was done out of pride. There is no other sin more of an offence to God than pride. David's purpose was improperly motivated. Satan had put this thing in his heart. Even Joab, David's Commander, knew this was wrong and tried to talk David out of it, but David commanded that it be done. Joab departed and took the census. He found 1,100,000 men of military age in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. He did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in his figures because he was distressed at what the King had made him do.
The Lord became very disturbed at what David had done and punished Israel for it. David, seeing the Lord's displeasure, accepted the responsibility for what had been done and cried unto the Lord for forgiveness. God spoke to David through the Prophet Gad. He gave David his choice of three judgments for his sin. He could have three years of famine, three months of destruction by the enemies of Israel or three days of plague brought on by the Angel of the Lord.
David pondered his discussion. He decided that judgment would be better in the hands of the Lord so he choice the three days of plague. So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel and 70,000 men died as a result. God also sent an Angel to destroy Jerusalem but out of compassion, He called off the Destruction. David saw with his own eyes, the Angel of destruction with his sword drawn and pointed toward Jerusalem and he fell on his knees and took the blame for what was done and asked for mercy for the people of Israel.
Then the Lord told the Prophet Gad to instruct David to build an Altar unto the Lord at the threshing floor of Ornan. David went and offered to but from Ornan the threshing floor and the animals for the sacrifice, but Ornan told David to take what ever he needed. But David paid Ornan 4,300 in gold and built an altar to the Lord and offered Sacrifices. Then the Lord commanded the Angel to shield his sword and the destruction ended.
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