Counting and the Cost

1 Chronicles 21:1-30
    1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it."  3 And Joab answered, "May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?"
    4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. 5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. 6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
    7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. 8 So David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."
    9 Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 10 "Go and tell David, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you."'"  11 So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose for yourself, 12 either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD—the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me."
    13 And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."  14 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
    16 Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued."
    18 Therefore, the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. 20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. 21 So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground. 22 Then David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the LORD. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."
    23 But Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all."  24 Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." 25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place. 26 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
    27 So the LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.  28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

Counting the people in the time of Moses required each of the people to contribute "half a shekel towards the building of the tabernacle," that there might be no plague among them when he numbered them (Exodus 30:12), and also that the Levites not be counted at all.  Here the incitement, the temptation of sinful pride, to David led him to have all Israel counted, along with the Levites.  This was opposed to trusting God foremost in multiplying His people as promised to Abraham, and secondly in violation of His word.  God made it clear that according to His word, the order to count must come from Him and not a fallen angel.  He also set the order and requirements to include the temple tax of sorts to be made.  This latter point is crucial because David is about to make preparations for his son to build the temple. Perhaps God allowed the tempter to sway the king to take the census to prove the military might and victory were David’s and forget it was all of God.  That was basis of the original temptation in Eden’s garden, to doubt God’s word and act directly opposed to it (Genesis 3:4-6) instead of learning from God’s word and taught directions (Hebrews 4:15).  We see then the consequences of disobedience as the leader of God’s people, in that many had to  suffer and die by the king’s hand in this foolishness.  Joab even tried to talk David out of this, knowing the word of the Lord, yet the king’s pride ignored good counsel.  The LORD offered three options of retribution; the first was a long famine where people would suffer to die, the second was humiliating defeat after so many successful battles showing that the LORD was on their side, and the last option was to put themselves directly into God’s hand for the consequences of judgment.  David chose the latter, knowing it was best to be in God’s hands even for harsh and deserved punishment.  The people began being cut down by the destroying angel of the LORD, and the king interceded by offering himself and his descendants as the recipients of judgment instead.  The Angel stopped, David worshipped, and he learned the cost - that he paid the price of personal sacrifice, not cheap grace with that which cost him nothing.  He learned ultimately that to obey was better than sacrifice, and that the price was earned and owed personally (Romans 3:10, 23, 26).  Through through the judgment as the Angel cut people down and David and the sons of Ornan trembled at seeing this heavenly giant, the owner of the wheat being threshed did not cower or fear.  He stood with trust in the LORD while faced with God’s power as David fearfully offered to buy the place for an altar.  This is the point where David learned to count the cost and accept responsibility, and paid for the place and right to sacrifice in atonement.  Still the king was afraid to go to inquire of the LORD for further direction out of the fear of further judgment at the hand of His avenging messenger.  We fear judgment until Christ intercedes and atones for us, and then we trust as Ornan as judgment falls in the final day, knowing the price paid was Christ’s and the mercy of the Sacrifice keeps the sword from taking us eternally.  This is counting according to God’s word and reconciliation of grace.  It cost Him much, and costs us only our lives given to Him.  We then worship being mindful of the cost and consequences apart from His merciful grace, and lay down our lives as crucified with Him in that cost.  We count the cost and thus offer everything because of that grace.