1 Chronicles 24:3-5

3 With the help of Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. 4 A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants. 5 They divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

In this selection, David, Zadok (one of his high priests), and Ahimelech (the son of his other high priest) go about dividing up the duties of priesthood between the “sons of Aaron” (Moses’ brother, selected as high priest of Israel back when Moses led them).

Note that this division of ministering duties is not accompanied with a verse describing how the priests whined and cried about not getting the job they wanted. Neither are the descendants of Ithamar grumbling and rabble-rousing about not getting as many leadership positions for their families. Instead, everybody takes their appointed job with no recorded hint of trouble.

If only modern Christian churches could divide labor and appoint people like this. Unfortunately, these days we Christians can come down with serious cases of hurt pride (or sometimes inflated pride that gets suddenly deflated), and before you know it, a church squabble has started. We all want to serve the Lord, but some want to serve Him very loudly and very publicly, and get praise for themselves in the process.

Churches have to work together to combat this. The members must be unafraid to voice their (tactful) opinions, and the leaders must listen and make impartial decisions based on what is best for all members, not just what will please one or two “influential” people. After all, every member wants a genuine worship experience; why not work together to make sure that happens? Being willing to serve God, even if we serve Him in ways we didn’t expect or in ways that don’t get recognition, should be our motivation.

1 Chronicles 21:11-17
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord–days of plague in the in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell face down. 17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

In the verses before this passage, David had ordered that a census be taken of Israel, so he could ascertain how many fighting men he had available. God was displeased with this–David’s reign had already been marked with a lot of righteous fighting in which he had called upon God for strength. But now, it seemed, David was more willing to rely on a massive human force than the eternal mass of God’s strength. God then tells Gad, the current prophet, to pass on to David the message of three options for punishment.

Upon hearing the punishments, David immediately opts for the punishment that will affect him and his people the least amount of days (and himself the least of all)–three days of plague and destruction. He even says “don’t let me fall into the hands of men;” that threatened three months of being used to wipe the desert floor sounds the most horrible to him. The famine sure isn’t good, but David thinks three days of destruction and widespread plague is more bearable than being beaten by his human enemies. He doesn’t even stop to think about the nation he’s leading, or the people who depend on him for safety and security.

God does as David has selected, and punishes Israel for straying from His will, sending an angel to mete out the punishment. But God is not happy or joyful about this–His attitude is like that of a parent who knows he must punish his child (so that the child will learn boundaries), but hates the act of doing so. God grieves at the sight of so much destruction and death among His people, and finally orders the angel to stop.

By this time, David has been witness to all this, as have his council elders. They are all dressed in the clothes of mourning (sackcloth), and they prostrate themselves before God, to show humility. Then David says, most eloquently, that he will take on the punishment of Israel, since he was the one who ordered the census of able fighting men, and he was the one who deliberately led his people into dangerous spiritual territory. He admits his guilt before God.

In times of suffering, we often blame God or question God’s existence; we wonder “Why are you doing this to me, God?” Before we claim that God doesn’t exist because we are suffering and our prayers are not being answered, and before we blame God and curse at God for what He’s doing to us, we need to examine our hearts and our lives. Are we doing things that are pleasing to God? Are we acting in love, forgiveness, and patience towards others, even those who are not Christians? Are we relying on Him for guidance and strength, not relying on our own wits?

God punishes in the Old Testament a lot more often than the New Testament, but He’s still a just God. He isn’t going to let us get away with living a life that doesn’t follow His teachings, especially if we’re claiming to be saved the whole time. When our lives become more struggle than anything, we may not need to blame God first; we may need to look within and see if there is something in our lives that is not in line with His will. David learned during those terrible three days that he had to come before God humbly and accept his own guilt. Sometimes, we need to do the same.