Chronicles On David’s Mistake In Conducting Census

David confessed his mistake/sin, and took full responsibility.

His dedication to Hashem in purchasing the offering; rather than taking it for free.

“The Ill-fated Census”

“David’s Purchase For Offering/Sacrifice”

An adversary stood against Israel, and enticed David to take a count of [the people of] Israel.
21:1
But Joab said, “May Hashem increase the number of His people a hundred times over! … Why should my lord desire such a thing? Why should this be a source of guilt for Israel?”
21:3
But the word of the king prevailed over Joab; …
:4
But [Joab] did not tally Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s command was abhorent to Joab.
:6
This matter was bad in God’s eyes, and He smote Israel.
:7
David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in having done this thing. Now, please remove the sin of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
:8
“Go and speak to David, ‘Thus said Hashem: I am offering you three [things]; choose one of them and I will do it to you.’”
:10
David said to Gad, “I am exceedingly distressed. Let me fall into Hashem’s hand, for His mercies are abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
:13
So Hashem sent a pestilence in Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
:14
Hashem saw and reconsidered the evil. He told the destroying angel, “Enough! Now stay your hand!” …
:15
David raised his eyes and saw the angel of Hashem standing between the earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David and the elders, who were covered in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
:16
David said to God, “Surely, I have said to take the count of the people, and I am the one who has sinned and acted wickednly; but these flock — what have they done? Hashem, my God, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house, but against Your people there should not be a plague!”
:17
The angel of Hashem told Gad to say to David, that David should go up and erect an altar to Hashem…
:18
But Ornan said to David, “Take [it] for yourself, and let my lord the king do whatever is proper in his eyes. …
:23
But King David said to Ornan, “No, I shall buy it for the full price, for I shall not offer to Hashem that which is yours, nor offer up a free burnt-offering!”
:24
Hashem then said [the command] to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
:27

1 Now Satan arose upon Israel, and he moved David to count Israel.
2 And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go count Israel from Beersheba until Dan, and bring me [word], so that I may know their number.”
3 And Joab replied, “May the Lord add to His people a hundredfold of whatsoever they may be. My lord, the king, are they not all servants to my lord? Why does my lord request this? Why should this become guilt for Israel?”
4 But the king’s word prevailed over Joab, and Joab went forth and walked throughout Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David, and all Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men who draw the sword, and Judah was four hundred seventy thousand men who draw the sword.
6 But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them because the word of the king was repugnant to Joab.
7 Now God was displeased because of this thing, and He smote Israel.
8 And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing, and now, please put aside the iniquity of Your servant, for I was very foolish.”
9 And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying:
10 “Go and speak to David, saying: So said the Lord: Three things I offer you; choose one of them, and I shall do it to you.”
11 And Gad came to David, and said to him, “So said the Lord; Choose which you will.
12 Either three years famine or three months in which you will be destroyed by your enemies, and the sword of your enemies will overtake you, or three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout the boundary of Israel; and now consider what I should reply to Him Who sent me.”
13 And David said to Gad, “I am greatly oppressed; let me fall now into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great, but into the hand of man let me not fall.”
14 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, and there fell from Israel seventy thousand men.
15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he destroyed, the Lord saw and regretted the evil, and He said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now stay your hand,” and the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the sky, with a drawn sword in his hand, extended over Jerusalem, and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said to God, “Did I not say to count the people? Then I am the one who has sinned, and I have committed evil, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord, my God, I beg that Your hand be against me and against my father’s house, but not against Your people for a plague.”
18 And the angel of the Lord said to Gad to say to David that David should go up to erect an altar to the Lord in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 And David went up according to the word of Gad that he spoke in the name of the Lord.
20 And Ornan returned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, and Ornan was threshing wheat.
21 And David came up to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and he went forth from the threshing-floor, and he bowed down to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David said to Ornan, “Give me the place of the threshing-floor, so that I may build thereon an altar to the Lord; give it to me for the full price, so that the plague be stayed from the people.”
23 And Ornan said to David, “Take for yourself, and may my lord the king do what seems good in his eyes. See, I have given the cattle for burnt offerings, and the threshing tools for [fire] wood, and the wheat for a meal offering; I have given everything.”
24 And King David said to Ornan, “No, for I will buy [it] for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, and offer up burnt offerings for nothing.”
25 And David gave to Ornan for the place shekels of gold weighing six hundred.
26 And David built an altar there to the Lord, and he offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he called out to the Lord, and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of the burnt offerings.
27 And the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 And the Tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of the burnt offerings at that time were in the high place in Gibeon.
30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was frightened by the sword of the angel of the Lord.