March 31, 2021: Day 25 – I Chronicles 21

The flawed character of David reveals itself again, but this time in a way that is a bit puzzling.  David conducts a census, and this was not something that God wanted him to do, at all!  Did you notice how God chose to punish David?  He gave him a choice, almost like you get to pick between three really bad punishments.  1 – Famine for three years, 2 – three months of devastation from your foes, 3 – three days of pestilence by the hand of the sword of the Lord.  

David’s answer was one where he did not want to be subject to other people so he chooses the three days of pestilence at the hand of the Lord.  The angel of the Lord arrives at Jerusalem and is about to destroy the city when David intervenes and requests that he be given a chance to speak on behalf of his people.  God requires him to go to the same place where the ark of the covenant had one time been stored, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, and give an offering there.  David does and God relents and repents from the destruction of Jerusalem.  

God answers this prayer and David is left with a fear of approaching the Lord because he knows how flawed he is.  You see, we have a very different perspective, and that is that we actually approach the Lord because we are flawed.  We don’t stay away because we are flawed but we approach due to that sin specifically.