The next question in our Now
That’s a Good Question series is a good one. It’s one that Christians had
difficulty answering and the opponents of Scripture often bring up to show how
unfair God is. Here it is. In 2 Samuel
24, God is angry at Israel and puts it in David’s heart to “number the people”.
As a result, God gets angry with David and punishes Israel. Why would God use
His chosen servant to bring about such a thing?
The
Problem
The apparent problem raised by this
question seems to be that God incited David to number the people and then
judged him and the nation of Israel for doing what He incited David to do. This
seems very unfair of God. It’s not unlike a parent telling a child to mess up
his room and then punishing him for having a messy room. At least, that’s the
way it seems on the surface.
The real problem underlying the
interpretation of 2 Samuel 24 lies in the parallel passage relating the same
event in 1 Chronicles 21. Samuel seems to be saying that God incited David to
number the people, but the Chronicler clearly states it was Satan, or “an
adversary”.
The solution lies in understanding the
broader truth of Scripture and getting a good grasp on the immediate text in
question.
Census
Taking Is Not Sin
Based on this historical account, many well-meaning Bible
interpreters, laymen and scholars alike, assume that David’s sin lie in the
fact that he numbered the people of Israel; that he took a census. The problem is,
census taking in Israel was never prohibited by God. In fact, census taking was
a regular part of Israelite life. It is recorded several times in Israelite
history that the people were counted in a census.
1.
Moses counted the whole people of Israel after
exiting Egypt and prior to building the Tabernacle (Ex. 38:25; Num. 1:2-47).
2.
Moses counted the Kohathite branch of the tribe
of Levi (Num. 4:2-3).
3.
Moses counted the Gershonites (Num. 4:22-23).
4.
Moses counted the whole people of Israel after
the 40-year wilderness wandering (Num. 26:2-4).
5.
Joash apparently commanded the Levites to count
the people of Israel in order to raise money to repair the Temple (2 Kings
12:4).
6.
Solomon took a census of all the non-Israelites
living in the land and added that number to the census numbers David gathered
(2 Chron. 2:17-18).
None of these instances of census taking in Israel resulted
in God’s judgment on either king or nation. In truth, all of the census taking
in which Moses engaged was directly commanded by God. God even codified for
Moses in the Law how a census was to be taken. When it was taken, everyone who
was counted, particularly those 20-years old and older who were enrolled in the
Israelite army, were to pay a sum to the Lord for use in the Tabernacle as a “ransom”
for his life. Paying the ransom tax would protect the individual because they
were being numbered as part of the Israelite nation (Ex. 30:12-16).
Furthermore, God told Moses that when he took a census the tribe of Levi was
not to be included as they were excluded from military service (Num. 1:49).
The
Context of the Text
If census taking, in and of itself, was not sinful, then how
do we interpret 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21?
Understand the Broader Context
Let’s take a step back and look at the
big picture. 2 Samuel 24:1 opens with an interesting statement, “Again the anger of the LORD burned against
Israel…”. The immediate text and context doesn’t mention why God was angry with
the nation of Israel “again”, but it is clear that something in the recent past
had prompted God to become angry with Israel. When we investigate further,
outside of chapter 24, we find that chapters 21-24 form what’s called an inclusio – a literary device common in
Hebrew that puts similar information at the beginning and end of a section to
express a unified theme or purpose. In this case, chapter 21 opens with Israel
experiencing a 3-year famine as judgment from God for Saul’s violation of a
treaty with and attempt to slaughter the Gibeonites (21:1-2). Chapter 24 closes
the inclusio with God’s anger being
levied against Israel again – though this time the particular reason is unspecified
and speculation reveals nothing on the matter. Truthfully, 21:1-14 and 24 form
a double inclusio to close out the account
of David’s life; showing his extreme ambition and pride as well as his humility
and remorse.
The writer of 2
Samuel 24 is attempting to close out his account of David’s life by
demonstrating, yet again, his character and why he was the great king he’d
become. We’re not given the chronological time frame in 2 Samuel when this event
took place in David’s life, but when we compare it to the parallel account in 1
Chronicles, we find that it occurred just prior to David’s giving Solomon the
instructions for building the Temple (1 Chron. 21:28-22:19). The census taken
by David at this time came late in his reign and may have been part of his
desire to establish a dynastic succession for Solomon who was soon to assume
the throne.
Understand the Immediate Context
The immediate context reads like this: “Again, the anger of the LORD burned against
Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census
of Israel and Judah." (2 Sam. 24:1 NIV).
The problem
underlying our question and helping us identify an answer lies in the identity
of “he”. This is particularly troublesome when we compare it to the parallel of
1 Chronicles 21:1 which clearly states, “Satan rose up against Israel and
incited David to take a census of Israel.” (1 Chr. 21:1 NIV). The question
becomes Who incited David to take a census? Was it God, Satan, or
someone/something else?
The verb
translated “incited” וַיָּ֙סֶת) – wayyaset – “to lead away, seduce,
incite”) is identical in both 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. So, the verb, in
its tense and person, is exactly the same and renders no help in identifying
its subject. We are back to trying to identify the subject of the verb in both
passages. In 1 Chronicles 21:1, it is unmistakably clear that Satan is the
subject of the verb. It appears most logical and grammatically plausible that
God (Jehovah – YHWH, יְהוָ֔ה )
is the subject of the verb in 2 Samuel 24:1. That doesn’t seem to help. How can
both God and Satan be inciting David to take a census at the same time.
A couple of
answers to the problem in the immediate context have been suggested.
The first answer
tries very hard to wrestle a unique nugget out of the text. Almost all of the
major English translations (NIV, ESV, NLT, NRS, CEB, NKJV, KJV)[1]
render 2 Samuel 24:1 with God as the subject of the verb, “He incited”. Only the
NAU[2]
renders the subject of the verb as “it incited”. Some point out that the
subject of the Hebrew verb in 2 Samuel 24 is not stated and should be literally
translated “One incited David.” Because, it is claimed, no definitive subject
is identified, in the text, then it could be identified differently than most
do. It could be Satan, as 1 Chronicles 21:1 seems to state. It could be an
unnamed adversarial counsellor, due to the fact that the Hebrew term translated
Satan means “adversary” and has no definite article. It could have been David’s
own evil imagination, or it even could have been God.
There are
problems with the above suggested answer. First, there is a good reason why the
majority of English translations render it “he incited”. Grammatically, the
verb is in the 3rd person meaning either a “he, she, or it” of some
form is the subject. The immediate context of 2 Samuel 24:1 refers to God being
angry again with Israel. This first verb used in the verse is also in the 3rd
person with God clearly identified as the subject. The second verb, the verb in
question, is joined to the preceding phrase with the conjunction “and” making
the two phrases a single thought. It is logical and grammatically viable to see
God as the subject of both verbs – “angry” and “incited”. It makes the most
sense, and is the best grammatical interpretation of the text, to see God as
the subject of the verb and doing the inciting of David. Furthermore, just
because the noun “Satan” in 1 Chronicles 21:1 does not have the definite
article does not automatically render it “a satan” or “an adversary”. Definite
articles are never used with proper names. The context of 1 Chronicles 21:1 is
clearly speaking of a single, identifiable person, not an unnamed, anarthrous “adversary”.
No, it is clearly Satan who is the subject of the verb in 1 Chronicles 21:1.
Picking apart the
first answer is unsatisfactory and brings us back to the original problem. We
still don’t have an answer if both God and Satan are inciting David to take a
census.
Perhaps the best
answer lies in not trying to make it an either/or scenario. James 1:13 states
unequivocally that God does not tempt anyone to sin. Verse 14 of the same
context states that everyone is tempted to sin when they are drawn away and
enticed by their own evil desires. Scripture makes it abundantly obvious that
Satan is the great tempter; one of his roles in this universe is to tempt the
people of God to sin (cf. 1 Thess. 3:5; 2 Cor. 2:10-11; Matt. 4:1-11; et. al.).
If this is true, then it is best to see God in 1 Samuel 24 allowing David to be
incited by Satan.
Seems like a
round-about way of God inciting David to sin, doesn’t it? Let’s step back and
look at the bigger picture of Scripture. There is a Hebrew idiomatic way of
expressing permission versus action. Often in Hebrew, active verbs will be used
to expression permitting something rather than actually doing the thing. So, in
the case of David in 2 Samuel 24, God permitted Satan to incite David even
though the writer of 2 Samuel uses the same verb as 1 Chronicles 21 to express
it. The Hebrew idiomatic thought, then, goes like this: what God permits, He
is said to do. A few examples might help.
In Exodus, God
hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; etc.). God did not
directly harden Pharaoh’s heart by removing his ability to choose or forcing
him to act against his own will. Rather, God provided the circumstances which
would cause Pharaoh’s heart to harden. Pharaoh made up his own mind to resist
God’s demands; God merely provided the occasion for Pharaoh to demonstrate his
hardened heart against Him. What we see is a “behind the scenes” glimpse into
what was going on. God was at work in the circumstances and occasion to
accomplish His will – moving Pharaoh to let Israel go. He neither compromised,
nor compelled Pharaoh to act against his own will.
We see the same
kind of thing happening in the book of Job. This example, more than any other,
most closely parallels our discussion of David and God. Satan enters the
presence of God and accuses Him of buying off Job’s faithfulness. God allows
Satan to plague Job by removing his family, wealth, and even his health. We see
the Hebrew idiomatic thought at work in Job 2:3-7. In chapter 1, God tells
Satan to do what is within his power to do to Job, but with certain Divine
restrictions. In 2:3 God says to Satan, "Have you considered my servant
Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who
fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you [Satan] incited me [God] against
him to ruin him without any reason.” Satan retorts to God; compelling Him
to strike at Job in verse 5, “But now stretch
out your [God] hand and strike his flesh and bones…”. God permits Satan to
strike Job again in verse 6, “The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your [Satan’s] hands…”. Verse
7 tells us that Satan was the one doing the actual afflicting of Job, “ So,
Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job…”. This passage
reinforces the Hebrew idiomatic thought paradigm: what God permits, He is said
to do. Satan was the direct cause for Job’s affliction, but God told him that
he’d incited God against Job. God agreed to act against Job, but did not do so
directly; Satan did. Because God permitted it, the Hebrew language speaks of it
as God doing it.
Moving into the
New Testament, we find something quite similar. Paul, writing to the
Thessalonians, says when the Lawless One [Satan] is revealed in the Tribulation
period, that those who refused to love the truth will perish because they align
themselves with the Lawless One [Satan]. He goes on to say God will send those
individuals “a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie [of the
Lawless One] (2 Thess. 2:9-12). God is not causing them to believe Satan’s lies
directly; rather, Satan is at work lying to them (vv. 9-10a). Furthermore, God
is not violating their wills in sending this powerful delusion. Paul makes it
clear that they are perishing “because they refused to love the truth and be
saved” (v. 10b). Though in the New Testament, we see the same principle. God permits
Satan to deceive those who refuse to believe of their own accord. In that sense,
it can be said that God is doing what He is permitting.
In none of these
examples, like in 2 Samuel 24, can God be held culpable for causing an action
or forcing a person to act. Satan is at work and God is permitting him to
incite and deceive. Because God is permitting it, He can be spoken of as doing
it, though no direct causation can be leveled against Him.
David’s Sin
Answering the question of who was inciting David to undertake
a census reconciles 1 Samuel 24 with 1 Chronicles 21, but does not answer the corollary
question of David’s sin. If God never forbade the taking of a census, but
actually commanded it on occasion, then how could David be held guilty for sin
by God for taking a census?
In what way did David sin? Nowhere
does David say why he took the census; his intent can only be assumed from his
response to Joab. David is directly incited, as seen above, by Satan to take a
census only of the fighting men in Israel. This is inconsistent with the
previous commands from God to take a census. When Moses took a census of Israel
during the Exodus, it was of every citizen of the nation; identifying not only
how many the nation contained, but how many fighting personnel or other groups
the nation contained. When Joash took a census of the people, it was apparently
of the entire nation as a means of taxation for the Temple renovations. Solomon
took a census only of the foreigners in the land and added that number to the
Davidic census at the end of his reign so that he could get a sense of the size
of the inhabitants of the land.
David’s census seems to be an act of
hubris on his part. Joab lightly chastises the king in 2 Samuel 24:3, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a
hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does
my lord the king want to do such a thing?" Joab’s chastisement reveals
David’s heart. David was intent on assessing his fighting force without a
command of God to do so. David may have been doing this not because he was
about to wage war against an enemy, but as a means of bequeathing to Solomon a
majestic dynasty. Again, David’s reasons are not stated; merely the fact that
he ignored Joab’s counsel and persisted in the census. It has been pointed out
that nowhere does David follow the Mosaic prescription of paying the atonement
sum to the Temple by those who were being counted; violating the Law. In this,
David faulted twice – hubris and a legal violation.
Conclusion
Regardless of the nature of David’s sin, the truth cannot
be escaped. God was angry with Israel for some unspecified sin. Satan,
with God’s permission, put it into David’s heart to take an illegal census and
evidenced a lack of faith and self-sustaining arrogance in the doing of it. God’s
intent was to judge Israel. David cannot be the scapegoat for the nation’s sin
here. Yes, David sinned. Immediately after taking the census, 2 Samuel 24:10
states that David was conscience-stricken and confessed his sin to God. David
understood his sin in insisting on the census. However, the nation should have
known the Law’s requirement of payment of the atonement sum, but nowhere is it
recorded that anyone paid it. In this, the nation evidenced their infidelity to
the Law and God. Both king and people were equally culpable for their sin and
deserving of God’s judgment.
It should be pointed out, that God mercifully allowed David
to choose the method of judgment against the nation: three years of famine,
three months of enemy opposition, or three days of plague. David threw himself
on God’s mercy and because he did so God sent the least oppressive of the three
– three days of plague.
Why would God use his chosen servant to bring judgment on the
nation? We might be tempted to think it wrong of God to use David in such a
way. It should be noted that God alone appoints and deposes kings and
authorities (Dan. 2:21) and He alone turns a king’s heart to accomplish His
purpose (Prov. 21:1). God used their own kings, both good and bad, to judge Israel
and Judah both over the years and used foreign kings like Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes,
and Cyrus to judge Judah. God’s use of David so that He might judge the nation
is not out of character for God. Does this excuse David or the nation for their
sin? Not in the least. While God permitted Satan to act to tempt and incite
David to take a census; it was David’s own hubris at work and the people’s lack
of fidelity that was evidenced.
Scripture is clear that God does not tempt us to sin.
Rather, God allows Satan, the tempter, to work on our sinful, human, fleshly
desires to incite us to sin (James 1:13-14; 1 Thess. 3:5; 2 Cor. 2:10-11). Therefore, in David’s case, a harmonization
of 2 Samuel 24 with 1 Chronicles 21 reveals that God allowed Satan to work on
David’s own arrogant, self-sufficient heart to take a census of the people, which
revealed their infidelity to God’s law as well. It was for this reason, God
judged the nation with three days of plague.
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