Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20061217.htm

1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part II: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Reign Of David, 1 Chronicles 10-29
H. Gaining God's Leading In Responding Well To His Discipline
(1 Chronicles 21:1-30)
  1. Introduction
    1. God loves to lead us as we walk uprightly, but He is so great, He can also lead us through His discipline!
    2. If we react well to His discipline, we can gain clear insight of His leading as 1 Chronicles 21:1-30 shows:
  2. Gaining God's Leading In Responding Well To His Discipline, 1 Chronicles 21:1-30.
    1. In the author's historical record to this point in 1 Chronicles, the temple had not yet been built, for God had clarified that David was not to build it, but that Solomon his son would do so, 1 Chron. 17:1-4, 11-12.
    2. Also, the tabernacle that preceded the temple was not then located on the later temple spot, but in Gibeon (1 Chronicles 21:29) about 5 miles away (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., Map 4), and the ark of God was in the "city of David", the former Jebusite city located 400 yards south of the later temple site, 1 Chronicles 15:1; The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 1968, p. 74, Map 114.
    3. Now, God wanted the temple built 400 yards north of the "city of David" where David had put the ark, for there on Mount Moriah Abraham had offered Isaac (Gen. 22:2; 2 Chron. 3:1), an event that showed God would provide for His people at that later temple site, Gen. 22:13-14; Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, ftn. to 22:14.
    4. Thus, God led David to shift from using Gibeon for the tabernacle and the tent in the "city of David" for the ark to have the new temple site at Mount Moriah, and that by means of a strong disciplinary event:
      1. God let Satan tempt David to sin by numbering Israel's men, for God was angry at the nation for a sin not named for us, and He used the event as a means to punish Israel, 1 Chron. 21:1; 2 Sam. 24:1.
      2. Though Joab, David's commander, objected to the census, as it was not needed since God could add more soldiers if they were needed, David's word prevailed, and the census was taken, 1 Chron. 21:2-6.
      3. Consequently, God began to strike Israel with a plague in accord with His initial anger against Israel's sin, and that in part as punishment for David due to his errant trust in warriors and not God, 21:7.
      4. When given the choice of punishments, that of three years' of famine, three months of fleeing before his enemies or three days of God's lethal disease on the people, David exhibited a shift from trusting in men to trusting in God as he asked that he fall into the hand of God and not men, 1 Chron. 21:8-13.
      5. God then chose the three days of lethal disease, and sent the Angel of the Lord symbolically to illustrate God's judgment to the threshingfloor of Araunah, the spot 400 yards north of the "city of David" where Abraham had once offered Isaac, 1 Chron. 21:14-15; Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to 2 Sam. 24:25.
      6. David and the elders of Israel with him fell on their faces before the Angel of God, the Preincarnate Christ (cf. Genesis 16:10, Ibid., ftn.) Whose drawn sword of destruction was stretched over Jerusalem, and David repented, asking God to spare the city and to punish his family instead, 1 Chron. 21:16-17.
      7. God told David through the prophet, Gad to offer a sacrifice on Araunah's threshingfloor, and David did so, spending money to buy the land upon which it sat, 1 Chron. 21:18-25. "The amount was about 300 ounces of gold" besides the oxen and threshingfloor that went for more money, Ibid., ftn. to 21:25.
      8. When David offered a sacrifice there for his sin (21:26a), God answered favorably by supernaturally igniting the offering (21:26b) and told the Angel to put up His sword into its sheath, 2 Chron. 21:27.
      9. Moved by this dramatic divine answer to his plea in the setting of great discipline, David offered a fellowship offering, and ever after that feared to use Gibeon for offering sacrifices though that was where the tabernacle sat, 21:29-30; David believed God had signified the final place of worship was to be at Mount Moriah since he had there seen God work so strongly and dramatically to counter his sin.
Lesson: By God's strong punishment of David's sin and David's repentance followed by God's equally dramatic signal of forgiveness in igniting his sacrifice, David was AFRAID to use any OTHER location to worship God besides Araunah's threshingfloor, and that fit God's will to mark that site as the final temple site, the very location where God had centuries before met the dire need of Abraham and Isaac.

Application: If God DRAMATICALLY punishes our sin and we repent and He CLEARLY forgives, the DIRECTION He signals us to take in the PROCESS of the event is to be HEEDED FOREVER!