Psalm 60; I Chronicles 18:14-21:30; II Samuel 24
Today our readings in I Chronicles 18-20 replay what we’ve already seen in II Samuel, telling us lots of positive things about David and his reign. But Chronicles completely avoids any mention of David’s sin with Bathsheba and Absalom’s subsequent rebellion. Interesting.
Then we get to I Chronicles 21 and II Samuel 24. Both chapters tell us of a new and tragic episode in David’s history in which David wrongly calls for a census. Seeing as how we’re reading the story twice already today, I’m not going to rehash it here. Let’s just briefly consider the opening lines for each version:
Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
II Samuel 24:1
Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
I Chronicles 21:1
Um…
OK, so maybe we won’t consider those two statements much at all, because we clearly do not have the bandwidth here for a full theological treatise. Suffice it to say that God, in His sovereignty over everything, makes use of evil forces (like Satan) to accomplish His good purposes. We’ve seen that before in Scripture, and we’ll see it again and again. (For the ultimate example, consider the Cross…)
Although it is obvious from the outset that the census is a bad idea and that David is wrong to do it, neither Samuel nor Chronicles explains why. It may be that David is trusting in his strength of arms rather than the LORD, in marked contrast to that younger David who slew Goliath “against all odds”. Or it may be that David is looking to boast over the size of his kingdom, puffed up in his own pride. Or maybe there is some other reason. The fact that we are not explicitly told suggests to me that the reason is somewhat immaterial. What really matters is the ending: David’s purchase of the threshing floor of Araunah/Ornan the Jebusite and his building of an altar there. Why is that important? Because that is the spot on which Solomon will build the Temple. (II Chronicles 3:1) (We won’t get to that for another month, so stay tuned…)
See also, June 9 (2022) / Psalm 60.