About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

11/09/2023

1 Chronicles 21:1-30 David Commanded a Census Without Asking God's Will

 

David Commanded a Census Without Asking God's Will

1 Chronicles 21:1-30   1 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks]

And Satan [rose] up against Israel & provoked David to [count] Israel. And David said to Joab & the rulers of the people, Go [count] Israel from Beer Sheba, even to Dan & bring the [census total] of them to me, [so] I know it. 

And Joab answered, [May] the Lord [God multiply] His people 100 times [over what they are,] but my lord, the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Then, why [do you,] my lord, require this thing? Why will [you] cause this [guilt in] Israel? 

[Still] the king's word prevailed against Joab. [For this reason,] Joab departed & went throughout all Israel & came [back] to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the [census total] of the people to David. 

There were 1,100,000 men in Israel [who fought with] the sword. There were 470,000 men in Judah [who fought with] the sword. But he [didn't count the families] of Levi & Benjamin, [because] the king's [command] was abominable to Joab. 

And God was displeased with this [command to take a census.] Therefore, [God struck] Israel. And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I [beg] You, [take away the guilt] of [me,] Your servant, for I have done very foolishly. 

And the Lord [spoke] to Gad, David's seer, saying, Go tell David, saying, The Lord [said this,] I offer you 3 things. Choose 1 of them, [so] I may do it to you.  [1 Samuel 9:9 (Before [that] time in Israel, When a man went to inquire of God, he [said this,] Come, let’s go to the seer: for he is now call a Prophet, [who] was [before] called a Seer.)]

So, Gad [went] to David & said, The Lord [said this,] You [need to] choose either 3 year's famine, [or] 3 months to be destroyed before [your enemies,] while the sword on your enemies overtakes you, 

or else 3 days [of] the sword of the Lord, even [with] pestilence in the land & the Angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the [coastal territory] of Israel. Now [decide] what I shall [go back & tell the Lord [God,] Who sent me. 

And David said to Gad, I'm in [deep distress, so] let me fall into the hand of the Lord. For His mercies are very great: but [don't] let me fall into the hand of [men.] So, the Lord sent pestilence on Israel & 70,000 men of Israel [died.] 

And God sent an Angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. [While the Angel] was destroying, the Lord [saw] & He [withdrew the disaster] & said to the Angel [who was destroying it,] It is enough. [Stop,] your hand now. 

And the Angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. And David [looked up] & saw the Angel of the Lord between the earth & heaven with [with] a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem.

Then David & [Israel's] elders, who [were] dressed in sackcloth [a sign of mourning,] fell [& bowed down] on their faces. And David said to God, [Wasn't it me, who] commanded the people to be [counted]? 

I [am the one who has] sinned & done evil; but as for these sheep, what have they  done? O Lord, my God, I pray [that] You let Your hand be on me & on my father's [family;] but not on Your people, that they should be plagued.

Then, the Angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up & [build] an altar to the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. 

[After what] Gad [said] in the name of the Lord, David went up & Ornan turned back & saw the Angel & [Ornan's] 4 sons with him, [who] hid themselves. Now, Ornan [had been] threshing wheat. 

And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked & saw David & went out of the threshing floor & bowed himself to David, with his face to the ground. Then, David said to Ornan, Grant me [a] place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar [there] to the Lord. 

You shall grant it [to] me for the full price, [so] the plague may be [withdrawn] from the people. And Ornan said to David, Take it to you & let my lord, the king, do [what] is good in his eyes.

[Look, I'll] also give you the oxen for burnt offerings & the threshing [tools] for wood & wheat for the [meat/grain] offering. [I'll] give it all [to you.] And king David said to Ornan, [No,] but I will [surely] buy it for the full price. I will not take [what is yours] for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

So, David gave to Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the place. And David built an altar to the Lord there & offered burnt offerings & peace offerings & called on the Lord.

And [the Lord God] answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of [the] burnt offering. And the Lord commanded the Angel & he put his sword [back] into [its] sheath again. 

When David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of the Lord, [that] Moses made in the wilderness & the altar of the burnt offering, were in the high place at Gibeon [during] that season. 

But David could not go [in front of it] to inquire of God: for he was afraid, because of the sword of the Angel of the Lord [God.]