2 Samuel 24:1-9

1. David’s sin of numbering the people 24:1-9

David probably ordered this census about 975 B.C.

"After the revolutions of both Absalom and Sheba it would have been reasonable for David to reassess his military situation against the possibility of similar uprisings or other emergencies." [Note: Merrill, Kingdom of . . ., p. 272.]

In support of this hypothesis is the fact that Joab and the army commanders were able to take over nine months to gather the population statistics (2 Samuel 24:8). This suggests a very peaceful condition in Israel that characterized David’s later reign but not his earlier reign.

The writer of Chronicles wrote that Satan (perhaps an adversarial neighbor nation since the Heb. word satan means "adversary") moved David to take the census (1 Chronicles 21:1). Yet in 2 Samuel 24:1 the writer of Samuel said God was responsible. Both were true; God used an adversary to bring judgment on the objects of His anger (cf. Job 1-2; Acts 2:23). [Note: See Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "Does God Deceive?" Bibliotheca Sacra 155:617 (January-March 1998):11-12, 21-23.]

". . . paradoxically, a divinely-sent affliction can be called a ’messenger of Satan’ (2 Corinthians 12:7 . . .)." [Note: Youngblood, p. 1096.]

We can identify perhaps four levels of causality in 2 Samuel 24:1. God was the final cause, the primary instrumental cause was Satan, the secondary instrumental cause was some hostile human enemy, and David was the efficient cause. The Lord was angry with Israel for some reason. He evidently allowed Satan to stir up hostile enemy forces to threaten David and Israel (cf. Job 1-2). In response to this military threat, David chose to number the people. David’s choice was not his only option; he chose to number the people. He sinned because he failed to trust God. The Lord did not force David to sin.

Quite clearly David took the census to determine his military strength. Taking a census did not constitute sin (cf. Exodus 30:11-12; Numbers 1:1-2). David’s sin was apparently placing confidence in the number of his soldiers rather than in the Lord.

"For the Chronicler in particular [cf. 1 Chronicles 27:23-24], . . . the arena of David’s transgression appears to be that taking a census impugns the faithfulness of God in the keeping of His promises-a kind of walking by sight instead of by faith." [Note: Raymond B. Dillard, "David’s Census: Perspectives on 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21," in Through Christ’s Word: A Festschrift for Dr. Philip E. Hughes, p. 105.]

"Register" (2 Samuel 24:2; 2 Samuel 24:4) literally means to "muster" in preparation for battle. Joab proceeded in a counterclockwise direction around Israel. [Note: See Patrick W. Skehan, "Joab’s Census: How Far North (2 Samuel 24, 6)?" Catholic Biblical Quarterly 31:1 (January 1969):42-49, for a detailed study of his route. Rasmussen, p. 119, provided a map of Joab’s route.] The territory described included, but did not extend as far as, all the territory that God had promised to Abraham. There appear to have been 800,000 veterans in Israel plus 300,000 recruits (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:5). In Judah there was a total of 500,000. The figure of 470,000 in 1 Chronicles 21 probably omitted the Benjamites (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:6). The Hebrew word eleph can mean either "thousand" or "military unit." Here it could very well mean military unit. [Note: Cf. Baldwin, p. 296; Gordon, p. 319; Anderson, p. 285; McCarter, II Samuel, p. 510.] The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21 says that Joab did not number the men of Levi and Benjamin because David’s command was abhorrent to Joab (1 Chronicles 21:6).

Joab wisely warned David of his folly (2 Samuel 24:3). Even such a man as Joab could see that what David planned to do was wrong. Nevertheless David chose to ignore his counsel (2 Samuel 24:4). He behaved as one who refuses to be accountable to anyone, which was easy for David to do since he was the king. The thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and He struck Israel (1 Chronicles 21:7).