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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 14 November 2025:
1 Chronicles 21:1-2 — Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
We have previously discussed the problem with David’s census when we covered 2 Samuel 24. The questions we shall briefly reconsider this morning are: 1) What was wrong with David conducting a census? And 2) What was Satan’s role in David’s actions?
What was wrong with David’s census? Though the Bible doesn’t say it directly, indirectly we can discern that what motivated David to conduct this census was pride in what David perceived to be his own personal power rather than God’s gracious provision – self-sufficiency. In those days, a census would have been conducted to levy taxes or draft an army. In this case, based on the focus on “men who drew the sword,” (1 Chronicles 21:5) we can surmise this census was primarily for conscription, and the fact that Joab didn’t count Levi because “the king’s command was abhorrent” (1 Chronicles 21:6) to him suggests that David wanted them counted, which would have directly contradicted the law of God concerning the Levites who were not to be considered military eligible (Numbers 1). David grew prideful as a king and unfaithful to the Sovereign LORD who appointed him as king, thereby losing the moral authority to rightly rule and misleading his people in a destructive way. David succumbed to pride and disobedience, but what did Satan have to do with it? Satan played upon David’s pride to provoke David to do what should not be done.
Satan’s role might be hard to understand, especially when we compare 1 Chronicles 21:1 with 2 Samuel 24:1 which says, “Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” Is this a contradiction in God’s word? Did God “tempt” David to sin or was it Satan? James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” Simply stated, the Lord “tests” people by allowing them to go through various trials or challenges, and by allowing people to respond to temptation according to individual will, but God never tempts people. We are tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. God is sovereign, yet human pride and demonic temptation cooperate in rebellion. Remember, God is not seeking robots, He is seeking people who love (which must be a choice), and who possess a character which wants (from their will) what He wants (His will), which is the nature of abiding in Him and being one with Him (John 15 and John 17).
- Psalm 11:5 — The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
- Psalm 26:2 — Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
- Psalm 66:10 — For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
- Proverbs 17:3 — The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:4 — …but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
- 1 Peter 4:12 — Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 — No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Nothing happens outside of God’s Sovereignty. He governs all things. God is perfect in holiness and cannot sin or cause people to sin, but He does use evil and evildoers to test us and to accomplish His will – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good [even evil things], for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28, 29)
God allows (actually ordains) trials in your life, and He tests your heart and mind, not to tempt you but rather to draw you closer to Him and to develop in you Christ-like character. When you are tested, it is not so God can see the truth of your character (He already knows it), it is so you can see it, both the noble and ignoble. Sometimes God needs you to see where you lack faith and need to grow. Sometimes God tests you because He wants you to see the faith you didn’t even know you had in order to encourage you, build you up stronger in faith, reveal Himself to you in a greater way, and bring glory to Himself – “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.” (Hebrews 11:17) In fact, James said that with faith in God, we should actually rejoice in our trials – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Sometimes, as in the case with David today, God will test your heart and mind to expose your sin, idolatry and hypocrisy. God’s will in your failures is to bring you to humble repentance, to draw you closer to Him, to sanctify you, to conform you to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), and to prepare you for greater faithful service in love. His desire is not to condemn you and destroy you but rather to reconcile you – “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
- Jeremiah 12:3 — But you, O Lord, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you.
- James 1:12 — Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Temptation is another matter. Temptation is an enticement to sin and to dishonor God, and it comes from three sources: the world (2 Peter 1:4, Galatians 1:4, 1 John 2:15), the flesh (Romans 7:18, Galatians 5:19 – 21, James 1:14 – 15, etc.), and the devil (Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7). As James teaches, temptation, unlike testing, does not come directly from God, as it would be contrary to His holy essence.
Again, God allows the temptation in order to expose the truth of people’s hearts – you can’t really be tempted with what your heart doesn’t desire or detests. The Father allowed the ‘temptation’ of Jesus by Satan in the desert in order to expose the truth of Jesus’ righteous heart and bring glory to Him. Jesus was tempted externally by Satan, but He was not tempted internally, proving to be wholly faithful and the Son of God.
On the contrary, David was tempted both externally by Satan and internally within his own heart, exposing the pride that remained in both him and the Israelites. There was nothing inherently sinful about conducting a census, God had directed it before. What was sinful was not the conduct of the census but rather David’s motivation for conducting a census. God fully knew David’s heart and the sinful pride of the people, but they could not see it in themselves, so God had to expose it. So, when David wanted to conduct a census for all the wrong reasons, God essentially said, “Do what is on your heart,” turning David over to His own sinful desires that he would face the consequences.
When failure occurs, repentance inspired by faith in God’s grace leads us to discipline and sanctification rather than condemnation. As stated in Jeremiah 12:3, God’s intent is to test you “toward” Him and as Romans 8:29 says, so you may “be conformed to the image of his Son.” In today’s story, David repents and the plague is averted. Remember in the New Testament, both Judas and Peter betrayed Christ. Judas couldn’t bring Himself to repent and accept the forgiveness of God, and He killed himself. Peter, on the other hand, repented, accepted forgiveness, and was used mightily by God. Similarly, Paul, formerly Saul who had made a career of persecuting Christians, repented and went to his death boldly proclaiming Christ and glorifying Him. Repent when you fall short, have confidence in God’s grace, and glorify God boldly as a living testimony to the Gospel.
1 Chronicles 21:3-4 — But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.
Even Joab, a man not known for godliness, saw the danger in David’s order. Pride blinds spiritual perception. When others caution us, we should listen, especially when reproof comes from unexpected sources. Joab’s warning mirrors the voice of conscience that often protests when we begin to rationalize sin. But David, like many leaders under pressure, dismissed wise counsel because he was driven by a desire for control. Leadership divorced from humility always leads to loss.
Often people close to you can see the error of your ways better than you can. It is vital that you surround yourself with faithful Christians and establish with them relationships of mutual accountability. This, of course, requires commitment and humility on your part. Pride is where learning stops.
1 Chronicles 21:7-8 — But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
Conviction fell swiftly. David’s confession was sincere and immediate — he did not justify himself or blame others. “I have sinned greatly.” He owned the guilt and called his own act “foolish.” True repentance begins with clarity, not excuses. Psalm 51, written after another failure, echoes the same heart: “Against You, You only, have I sinned.” God’s discipline was not vengeance but purification. The king who had counted his people would now learn that every life belongs to the Lord, not to his ledger.
Repentance addresses God, admits sin, accepts the foolishness of personal acts, and asks for forgiveness.
1 Chronicles 21:9-13 — And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” … Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
The prophet Gad presents three disciplinary options: famine, military defeat, or pestilence. David’s choice reveals deep spiritual wisdom — he would rather fall into God’s hands than man’s. He knew the Lord’s mercy endures even in judgment. This is the heart of faith under chastening: trusting the character of God even when experiencing His correction (Hebrews 12:6). When we have sinned, our safest place is still in the Lord’s hands. Better to be disciplined by God who loves you than to be persecuted by people who can’t love you. You can trust God’s love when He disciplines you.
1 Chronicles 21:14-17 — So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and He relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” … And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house, but do not let the plague be on Your people.”
The plague’s devastation exposes the cost of leadership sin — others suffer for one man’s pride. Yet this passage also shows God’s mercy interrupting judgment. “The Lord saw and relented.” His compassion limits His wrath. David’s intercession points us forward to Christ, the sinless Shepherd who bore the punishment His sheep deserved (John 10:11). David’s plea — “Let Your hand be against me” — is prophetic of the cross, where the true King took the blow for all.
Your sin may cause many others to suffer. Don’t blame God for the consequences of your sin but rather accept responsibility, and confess your sins so others can learn from your mistakes. Pray for God’s mercy and grace, and trust Him in His forgiveness and perfect provision.
1 Chronicles 21:18-22 — Now the angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. … Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord — give it to me at its full price — that the plague may be averted from the people.”
Repentance always leads to sacrifice. God directed David to a specific place, the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah), where wheat was separated from chaff. There David was to build an altar, symbolizing purification and atonement. That same site would later become Mount Moriah, where Abraham once offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2), and where Solomon would build the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). God redeems the place of judgment into a place of worship. What began in pride ends in consecration.
1 Chronicles 21:24-26 — But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.
David’s refusal to offer a cheap sacrifice reveals the essence of true worship. Grace is free, but worship is costly. A heart that has been forgiven must give something valuable in response. God answered by sending fire from heaven — the same divine approval later shown to Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:1) and Elijah (1 Kings 18:38). Whenever God’s people return to Him with costly obedience, heaven responds with consuming presence.
1 Chronicles 21:27-30 — Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. … But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
The chapter closes with the sword sheathed and peace restored. Yet David’s fear shows that reconciliation is not cheap. Forgiveness removes guilt, but awe remains. The same God who relents is the One before whom we tremble. This reverence is holy fear — a recognition that grace does not erase God’s majesty but magnifies it. The altar at Ornan’s threshing floor thus stands as a monument to both mercy and holiness, where judgment was halted by atonement.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 14 November 2025: When pride tempts you to measure your worth or influence by numbers, achievements, or control, remember David’s lesson: dependence on human strength invites divine resistance. Build an altar instead of an empire — choose worship over self-reliance. True strength is not in counting what you have, but in trusting the God who provides.
Pray: “Father, keep me from the pride that counts my capabilities rather than counting on you. Teach me to measure success by faithfulness, not numbers. When I am corrected, help me fall into Your hands, knowing Your mercy is great. Let every failure become an altar where You are honored and my heart is purified. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 