1st Chronicles 21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
The narrative speaks of a time in the history of the Hebrews, when David made a very grave mistake in numbering the people. The action was assessed by God to be sinful to the level of iniquity, even though many people might not know what is the big deal in merely taking a census at that time. Because darkness has overspread the land and gross darkness has enveloped the people, individuals are becoming blinded to the seriousness of sin.
And, in many cases, evils are not assessed as being such, to the point where many interpret good, as being evil, and vice versa. When nations and people become desensitized by the repetition and fostering of sinful acts, there will come a time when there will be an angel in the sky, either literally or figuratively, to bring back a reality check that has for all intents and purposes been missing in action.
Therefore, as we go through the study, we will look for pointers, waymarks and lessons to be derived so that we can make practical application, adjustments and changes in our perspectives and practice where warranted. The first verse of the chapter tells us that satan was successful in infiltrating the mind of king David with a thought, and a suggestion that were in harmony with David’s desires, and because the devil reasons along strictly logical modes of thought, the idea may have seemed reasonable to David.
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!