1 Chronicles 19 recounts an episode with the king of the Ammonites. David decides to approach the Ammonite king after his father dies. He had good dealings with the father and wants to continue it with the son. David sends consolers to the new king. The king’s advisors make him suspicious of David’ s intentions and they humiliate the consolers. Instead of being grateful for the support the king shows his disregard for David. He mounts a battle against David along with the Arameans. Joab and Abishai lead the troops against both forces and the Arameans and Ammonites flee. God has been with them in the battle. The Arameans make peace with David and are unwilling to support the Ammonites in the future.

In 1 Chronicles 20 David fights battles against the Ammonites and the Philistines. David wins the battles.

1 Chronicles 21 begins with a contradiction of the account in 2 Samuel. In that account God had David make a count of the people. In this account Satan incites David to count the people. Since later in the passage David admits his sin in counting the people, it is possible that the later writers of the chronicle struggled with God inciting sin. In this account, also, Joab questions David’s command. Joab doesn’t come off as favorably in the other account of David’s life. David confesses his sin to God who gives David a choice of punishments. David chooses pestilence and the angel of the Lord coming to destroy throughout Israel.

The angel comes to Jerusalem but God stops him from killing anyone there. David sees the angel with a sword drawn at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. David takes responsibility for the sin and asks God to punish him alone. David wants to buy the threshing floor to build an altar to God. Ornan offers it and animals for the sacrifice for free but David says he will not offer offerings that cost him nothing.  David presented his offerings on the altar. God answered with fire from heaven and stayed the hand of the angel.

David would not offer to God something that cost him nothing. This is an interesting concept. When we do things for God it should involve some measure of sacrifice. Giving to God things that do not cost us cheapens the offering. It requires no commitment. God desires commitment.

In Psalm 69 the writer is feeling overwhelmed by his circumstance. He feels as though he is drowning in his troubles. Everything and everyone is turning against him. He asks that God deliver him from those who would hurt him. He acknowledges that God hears the needy and does not despise his own.