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1 Chronicles 21

30 verses

TL;DR

David’s rash decision to count Israel, provoked by Satan, brings a plague that kills 70,000, leading to repentance and the building of an altar to avert further destruction.

Summary

The chapter opens with Satan provoking David to survey Israel’s numbers (1:1‑2). David orders the census, but Joab objects, questioning the king’s motives. The king’s decree proceeds, and the numbers are tallied: 1,300,000 fighting men, 4,680,000 in Judah; Levi and Benjamin are excluded (1:3‑6). God is displeased and sends a plague that kills seventy‑one thousand (1:7‑15). Gad the seer offers David three possible punishments; David chooses to submit to the Lord (1:10‑13). The Lord spares the Israelites but devastates Jerusalem, stopping the angel’s hand after seeing the devastation (1:15‑17). The angel instructs David to build an altar on Ornan’s threshing floor, and David acquires the site by purchase (1:18‑25). David builds the altar, offers sacrifices, and receives divine fire in response (1:26‑28). The existing tabernacle and high‑place altar at Gibeon are noted, but David cannot approach them due to fear of the angel’s sword (1:29‑30).

Outline
  1. Satan incites David’s census and Joab’s objection
  2. God’s judgment: pestilence and the angel’s intervention
  3. David’s repentance, altar building, and divine affirmation
Themes
human sin and divine judgmentthe cost of disobediencethe role of repentance and sacrifice
Keywords
sinplaguerepentancecensusangel of the LORDaltarJerusalemSatan
People
DavidJoabGadSatanthe angel of the LORDOrnanthe Jebusites
Places
IsraelJerusalemBeershebaDanOrnan’s threshingfloorGibeonthe high place at Gibeon
Things
census70,000 plague victimspestilenceangel of the LORDsword of the LORDaltarburnt offeringspeace offeringssix hundred shekels of gold
Key Verses
  • 1 Chronicles 21:1: Introduction of Satan’s provocation
  • 1 Chronicles 21:7: God’s displeasure and judgment
  • 1 Chronicles 21:14: Descriptive account of the plague’s toll
  • 1 Chronicles 21:26: Divine response to David’s repentance
Questions
  • Why did David feel compelled to count Israel’s soldiers?
  • How does the chapter portray the relationship between human sin and divine punishment?
  • What does the building of the altar on Ornan’s threshingfloor signify for David’s leadership?
  • In what ways does the angel of the LORD function as both judge and mediator?
  • How might the events in 1 Chronicles 21 inform our understanding of covenant fidelity?
Sentiment

mixed
The narrative contains serious sin and judgment but also repentance and divine grace.