1 Chronicles 21:17 And David said to God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed… For the particular character of David's sin reference may be made to the sketch given on ver. 2. And for the kind of conviction which David cherished when acts of sin were brought home to him, illustration may be taken from Psalm 51. His sin might have been the sin of David the man; as was his sin in the matter of Bathsheba. Or it might have been the sin of David the king; and so God regarded it, adjusting his judgments accordingly. When convicted, it is a point of exceeding nobility in David that he seeks to bring the whole responsibility upon himself, asking God to treat the sin as that of the man, not of the king. We may fix attention upon this point. In this instance David stood for and acted for the nation, without the nation's consent. It is a most solemn thing for parents, masters, magistrates, etc., that they cannot always separate the official character from their acts; and they are responsible for the well-being of the children, the servants, or the citizens, whom they represent. Placed in such relations, men may act in ways that do not carry the feeling or wish of those for whom they stand; and so they may be the means of bringing upon them undeserved Divine judgments. The case of Jonah may be compared. The sailors' lives were imperilled by his act, though in it they had taken no share. I. MAN MAY BE OFFICIALLY - Or even by his temporary relations - THE CAUSE OF THE INNOCENT SUFFERING, II. SUCH CASES MUST ALWAYS BE REGARDED AS EXCEEDINGLY PERPLEXING AND PAINFUL. See Asaph's psalms, and the discussions in the Book of Job. Ill. THE RIGHT-HEARTED MAN WILL EARNESTLY SEEK TO HAVE THE SUFFERING LIMITED TO HIMSELF, and to this end will be ready fully to acknowledge his personal guilt. Impress that our relationships give the overwhelmingly painful character to our sins. - R.T. Parallel Verses KJV: And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued. |
    |