David's Census

Two conflicting statements are made regarding David's decision to take a census of the fighting men of Israel. Samuel states that God caused David to conduct the census, while Chronicles states that it was Satan. We have seen several examples before of blame being ascribed to God for something He merely allowed or for putting the preliminary circumstances in place. So it can be said that Satan tempted David in this way, but that God allowed it. Ultimatley, God is in control, so if Satan accomplishes anything, it is with God's consent and useful in His "big picture" plan. That said, why was the census such a bad thing that made God so angry? The implication in numbering the fighting men, is that David was trusting in manpower over God-power. Joab must have recognized this, as he expressed his concern in verse 24:3, "why, my Lord the king, do you want to do this?"

Adding to the confusion of this account, is a discrepancy regarding the actual numbers. Those given in Samuel are lower than the corresponding figures in Chronicles. All three of my resource books said the same thing, and the explanation works out perfectly. The discrepancy between the numbers can be reconciled by noting who was included in each rendering. The numerical difference between the two works out to be exactly the number of the regular army of Israel and Judah. It seems they were not included in the totals given in Samuel. As specified in 1 Chronicles 27:1-15, the army of Israel consisted of 288,000 men. In 2 Chronicles 1:14, we learn that there was a separate division of 12,000 within the city of Jerusalem. Combined, these numbers make up the difference of 300,000 that exists between the two totals given for Israel. Judah's difference of 30,000 can be explained by the size of the standing army of that nation listed in 1 Chronicles 21:6. I love it when a discrepancy is that easy to resolve!

Another such discrepancy exists in the price of the threshing floor David paid to Araunah. First of all, let me say how much meat there is in David's statement to Araunah that he would "not present an offering that cost him nothing". For all of his mistakes, this is the kind of thing that shows David's heart. He had a chance to get the threshing floor scot free, but declined on principle. He understood that a sacrifice was not meaningful unless the giver actually "sacrificed". How often do we pray and read our Bibles, only after we've gotten everything else done? How often do we offer service to the church only when it fits conveniently into our schedules? How often do we give tithes and offerings out of our "left-overs"? In essence, how often do we offer sacrifices that cost us nothing?

Back to the variance between the prices listed in the two accounts. Another good explanation can be found, based on the difference between what was being bought in each account. In Samuel, the price of 50 shekels of silver refers to the threshing floor itself, which would not have been a sizable or particularly valuable structure. It was worth about what he paid for it, and could have reasonably been offered as a gift by Araunah. In Chronicles, a price of 600 pieces of gold is listed but refers to a larger piece of property. The translation of the Chronicles phrase for threshing floor is actually "the site" or "the place", meaning that David purchased the land on which the threshing floor was situated. This land was Mount Moriah, which was the very spot where Abraham laid Isaac on the altar.

The final passages from today's reading dealt with David's preparation for building the Temple. He had been told that he would not be the one to build it, but that his son Solomon would. And so David took it upon himself to set Solomon up well for the enormous task in front of him. Sometimes we are the one called to do something for God and other times we are called to equip someone else to do the job. One role does not take precedence over the other, as it takes all parts of the body working together to accomplish it's purpose.

Tomorrow's reading; 1 Chron. 23:1-25:31