1 Chronicles 21:1-13
We might wonder why God, who passed over the earlier sins of David, now recalls the sin of his numbering the people. This sin shows us first of all the distance which separates the king from the One of whom he was only a feeble reflection. It was necessary that Israel should not confound their Messiah even with the greatest of their kings. The Son of David was at the same time his Lord (Matthew 22:41-45). Then again, it was necessary to explain the need for divine chastisement and the grace which would afterwards put an end to it. Apart from this, this story could not be understood. David appears here no more or no less than a guilty sinner, the same as you and I. But he knows the heart of God. His reply to Gad is proof of this: "Let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies" (v. 13). Do you personally know these divine compassions? To make atonement for our sins, it could not be a question of choosing between three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of pestilence. But Christ, in taking our place, knew the full measure of the wrath of God during the three hours in darkness on the cross; He has borne our eternal punishment.