The Price of Pride

INTRO

This lesson continues to build on the theme for 1 Chronicles: the Son of David. While many people believe that David’s “classic sin” was his sin with Bathsheba, chapter 21 describes another of David’s sins. Though people don’t often talk about this sin, it nearly destroyed the city of Jerusalem. This story was also told in 2 Samuel 24, but we’re going to talk about it again.

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 21:1: The word for “Satan” also means “adversary.” In Zechariah 3:1-2, Zechariah saw Satan standing before the Angel of the Lord to accuse Joshua the high priest. Satan “incited” David – he persuaded and convinced David –to count the people of Israel. While God had instructed Moses to take a census of Israel at certain times, David’s decision to count was based on his pride. According to John MacArthur, by counting Israel, David was beginning to take credit for what he had done and to establish more trust in his own work and men than in God.¹If Satan could tap into David’s pride, then maybe he could cause David to fall.

But 2 Samuel 24:1 says, “The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and He stirred up David against them.” Did the Lord or Satan tell David to count the people? Remember that whatever Satan does, God allows him to do it. Satan did not do this without permission from the Lord. This could be compared to the Lord allowing Satan to torment Job. So, God could have allowed Satan to test David.

John MacArthur clearly identified some of Satan’s roles. One of Satan’s roles is to judge the sinners (Mark 4:15).²(Just to clarify the statement that Satan judges the sinners: Ultimately, Jesus judges sinners, but Jesus (God) allows Satan to come in and grab hold of those sinners.) Another of Satan’s roles is to refine the saints (Luke 22:31-32).³Note that Satan asked God, “Can I sift Simon?” Part of the role of Satan is to refine believers. God can actually use Satan to make us stronger in Him. In David’s case, however, his faith failed and there was no refining in this instance. Satan is also used to discipline those in the church.⁴In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul turned an immoral man over to Satan to destroy his flesh so his spirit might be saved. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul said Satan tormented him so he wouldn’t exalt himself. Satan’s end goal in this encounter with David was to steal, kill, and destroy.

1 Chronicles 21:2-4: David ordered Joab to count Israel from Beer-sheba in the south to Dan in the north. But Joab protested, asking David why he would want to bring guilt on Israel by doing this. Joab knew this was not God’s timing. But David’s orders prevailed. Joab traveled through Israel counting the troops, knowing the whole time it was against God’s will.

1 Chronicles 21:5-7: Compare the count in this story with the count in 2 Samuel 24. John MacArthur gives a really good perspective on this. While there were 800,000 seasoned soldiers, there could have been another 300,000 men of military age in the military reserve. The difference in the 470,000 versus 500,000 men from Judah could have been 30,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin.⁵ Note: Joab did not count the Levites or men from the tribe of Benjamin in 1 Chronicles 21:6. What David did was considered evil in God’s sight, so He afflicted Israel. Sin will always bring wrath.

1 Chronicles 21:8-13: When David sinned, there was always genuine repentance. David knew he sinned, and he repented. Great men and women of God always acknowledge when they sin. The guilt of sin weighs on people. God sent Gad, the seer, to tell David to choose one of three options for his punishment. This is the only time in Scripture where God did this. Of the three choices, David chose to fall into God’s hands because of His mercy rather than into human hands. David knew the punishment would not be good, but he chose to trust God’s mercy even in the midst of His wrath. He realized God’s mercies are new every morning.

1 Chronicles 21:14–15: God sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 men died. Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But at the moment of destruction, God instructed the angel to withdraw his hand. This could be the angel of the Lord who visited Abraham, Gideon, and Samson’s parents. This could even be the angel with the spirit of death at Passover. This could even be Christ Himself, showing up at Jerusalem with His sword drawn. Ornan was about to receive the wrath of God because of David’s sin. The same thing could happen to us. Because of the sin of one man – Adam –we have to deal with the wrath of God as well.

1 Chronicles 21:16–22: When David saw the angel of the Lord with his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, he and the elders fell down before God. David knew that because of his sin, Israel now faced God’s wrath. David confessed he was the one who sinned and pleaded that “these sheep,” the innocent people, not suffer for his sins. The angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to set up an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel (v. 20). David offered Ornan full price to buy the threshing floor. This place, Mt. Moriah, was the same place where Abraham had been willing to sacrifice Isaac.

1 Chronicles 21:23-30: Ornan offered to give the land to David, as well as the oxen and the wheat for the offerings. Ornan intervened on behalf of the people, giving up everything needed for the sacrifice. But David insisted on paying full price. This account says 15 pounds of gold, which was the total cost of everything used in the sacrifice. David then built the altar and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. This site in Jerusalem is where the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, stands today. Just on the other side is the Golden Gate, which leads to the Mount of Olives. One day Jesus will come through that gate and reestablish Himself as King on this land. It’s like God really has a purpose for this land. He has a plan to save and redeem His people. When David made his offering and called on the Lord, God answered with fire from heaven. We typically think of fire from heaven in the account of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. It happened at the threshing floor of Ornan, too. Because of His mercy, God spared the city . . . and David trusted God to do that. David remained there in the presence of God.

CLOSING

We will face times when we ignore others and radically mess up. But when we come before God with a heart of repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14), God will respond. When we repent and turn back to God, we can know that God will respond. Even though we deserve God’s wrath, we can be forgiven because of what Christ did on the Cross.