This chapter would have served as an encouragement to the postexilic community to place the communal worship of God at the centre of the nation’s life. At the same time, it was a warning to the Chronicler’s first readers and us that there is a right and wrong way of proceeding. Pragmatism in worship, seeking a good outcome no matter the means employed, never works but will always lead to the watering-down and eventually the wholesale corruption of the worship of God. God is holy and has laid down guidelines in the Scriptures to which the church is to adhere, because such guidelines have been recorded for us for our good. Pagan practices, however meaningful and successful, were not to be followed. The postexilic community was also reminded that even God’s people, however sincere, cannot control God.
Liberal theologians may use this incident, among others, to portray the God of the Old Testament as vengeful and mean, exacting his pound of flesh for any infringement of his law. The conclusion of this kind of reasoning is that God is immoral
and can in no way be the same God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This incident serves as a sobering signpost that God requires his name to be honoured as holy, which requires that we do things his way. In fact, human rebellion is such an abomination in his sight that he smote his own Son Jesus Christ, so that a way could be found to save his people from their sins.1
1 David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader.