I Chronicles 20-21

“I will not take what is yours from the Lord, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing” (21:24).  David recognized that the privilege of worshipping God came at a high price.  Around the same time that David committed adultery (hinted at in 20:1),  he also yielded to pride, commanding Joab to number the warriors of Israel (21:2).  Both sins ended in dire consequences: death and conflict inside David’s family, and a plague that killed thousands of Israelites (21:14).

Sin has terrible consequences.  Mercifully, David’s sacrifice of repentance was accepted, and God “answered him with fire from heaven” (v26).