1. DAVID NUMBERS THE ISRAELITESBY
HAROLD HARSTVEDT
LESSON TEXT
2 SAMUEL 24:1-25
1 CHRONICLES 21:1-30
1 CHRONICLES 27:23-24

2. WHY DID DAVID NUMBER THE ISRAELITES?
2 SAMUEL 24:1
1 The anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

3. WHO DID DAVID TELL TO NUMBER THEM?
2 SAMUEL 24:2
2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.

4. WHAT DID JOAB SAY TO KING DAVID?
2 SAMUEL 24:3
3 Joab said to the king, May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?

5. DID JOAB DO AS DAVID COMMANDED?
2 SAMUEL 24:4-7
4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5 They crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer.
6 They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon;
7 They came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba.

6. HOW LONG WERE THEY IN COUNTING?
2 SAMUEL 24:8-9
8 When they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
WHAT WAS THE TOTAL IN ISREAL? JUDAH?
9 Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. There were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword. And the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
ISRAEL 800,000 JUDAH 500,000

7. HOW DID DAVID FEEL ABOUT THE NUMBERING?
WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO THE LORD?
2 SAMUEL 24:10
10 David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. David said to the LORD, I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, I pray, LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.

8. WHAT CHOICES DID THE LORD GIVE DAVID?
2 SAMUEL 24:11-13
11 When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12 Go, tell David, Thus says the LORD: I offer you three things. Choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.
13 Gad came to David and told him. He said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or you shall flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.

9. WHAT CHOICE DID DAVID MAKE? WHY?
2 SAMUEL 24:14
14 David said, I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; BUT do not let me fall into the hand of man.

10. WHAT DID THE LORD DO? HOW MANY MEN DIED?
2 SAMUEL 24:15
15 The LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. (70,000)

11. WHY DID THE LORD STOP THE DEATH ANGEL?
WHAT DID THE LORD SAY TO THE ANGEL?
2 SAMUEL 24:16
16 When the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, It is enough; now restrain your hand. The angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

12. WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO THE LORD?
2 SAMUEL 24:17
17 David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, Surely I have sinned. I have done wickedly. BUT these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house.

13. WHAT DID GAD TELL DAVID TO DO?
2 SAMUEL 24:18-19
18 Gad came that day to David and said to him, Go up and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.

14. HOW DID ARAUNAH RECEIVE DAVID?
2 SAMUEL 24:20-21
20 Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO ARAUNAH?
21 Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? David said, To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.

15. WHAT DID ARAUNAH SAY TO DAVID?
2 SAMUEL 24:22-23
22 Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king. Araunah said to the king, May the LORD your God accept you.

16. HOW DID DAVID RESPOND TO ARAUNAH?
2 SAMUEL 24:24
24 The king said to Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. Nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

17. DID THE LORD RECEIVE DAVID’S OFFERINGS?
2 SAMUEL 24:25
25 David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land and the plague was withdrawn from Israel. (NKJ)

18. WHO MOVED DAVID TO NUMBER ISRAEL?
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

19. WHO DID DAVID TELL TO NUMBER ISRAEL?
1 CHRONICLES 21:2
2 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.

20. HOW DID JOAB RESPOND TO DAVID?
1 CHRONICLES 21:3
3 Joab said May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. 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?

21. DID JOAB DO AS DAVID COMMANDED?
1 CHRONICLES 21:4-5
4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
WHAT WAS THE TOTAL IN ISRAEL? JUDAH?
5 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.
ISRAEL 1,100,00 JUDAH 470,000

22. WHO DID JOAB NOT NUMBER? WHY?
1 CHRONICLES 21:6-7
6 He did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

23. WHO WAS DISPLEASED BY THE NUMBERING?
WHAT DID GOD DO?
1 CHRONICLES 21:7
7 God was displeased with this thing. Therefore He struck Israel.

24. WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO GOD?
1 CHRONICLES 21:8
8 David said to God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing. I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.

25. WHAT DID THE LORD WANT DAVID TO DO?
1 CHRONICLES 21:9-10
9 The LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,
10 Go 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.

26. WHAT CHOICES DID THE LORD GIVE DAVID?
1 CHRONICLES 21:11-12
11 Gad came to David saying 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. Consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.

27. WHAT DID DAVID CHOOSE? WHY?
1 CHRONICLES 21:13
13 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.

28. WHAT DID THE LORD DO? HOW MANY MEN DIED?
1 CHRONICLES 21:14
14 The LORD sent a plague upon Israel and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. (70,000)

29. WHERE DID GOD SEND THE DEATH ANGEL?
WHY DID THE LORD STOP THE DEATH ANGEL?
1 CHRONICLES 21:15
15 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.

30. WHAT DID DAVID SEE? WHAT DID DAVID DO?
1 CHRONICLES 21:16
16 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.

31. WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO THE LORD?
1 CHRONICLES 21:17
17 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.

32. WHAT DID THE ANGEL WANT DAVID TO DO?
1 CHRONICLES 21:18-19
18 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 David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD.

33. HOW DID ORNAN RECEIVE DAVID?
WHAT DID ORNAN SEE?
1 CHRONICLES 21:20-21
20 Ornan turned and saw the angel. And his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat.
HOW DID ORNAN RECEIVE DAVID?
21 David came to Ornan. And Ornan looked and saw David. He went out from the threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.

34. WHAT DID DAVID SAY TO ORNAN?
1 CHRONICLES 21:22-23
22 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.
WHAT DID ORNAN SAY TO DAVID?
23 Ornan said to David, Take it to yourself. Let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. 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.

35. HOW DID DAVID RESPOND TO ORNAN?
1 CHRONICLES 21:24-25
24 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 David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.

36. WHAT DID DAVID OFFER TO THE LORD?
DID THE LORD RECEIVE DAVID’S OFFERINGS?
1 CHRONICLES 21:26
26 David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD. The LORD answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

37. WHAT DID THE LORD SAY TO THE ANGEL?
1 CHRONICLES 21:27-28
27 The LORD commanded the angel and he returned his sword to its sheath.
WHAT DID DAVID SEE?
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.

38. WHERE WAS THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD?
1 CHRONICLES 21:29-30
29 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.
WHY COULD DAVID NOT GO THERE?
30 David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD. (NKJ)

39. WHO DID DAVID NOT NUMBER? WHY?
1 CHRONICLES 27:23-24
23 David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.
DID JOAB COMPLETE THE NUMBERING?
WHY NOT?
24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for wrath came upon Israel because of this census. Nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David. (NKJ)