David’s Census

 

Question: Who is responsible for the census ordered by David – God (2 Samuel 24:1), or Satan ( 1 Chronicles 21:1)?

 

Answer:

2 Samuel 24:1 Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah."

1 Chronicles 21:1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

 

These verses appear to be contradictory, because on reading them the first thought that comes to mind is that in 2 Samuel 24:1, apparently it was God who got this thing done; whereas in 1 Chronicles 21:1 is seems that it was Satan who got this done – creating a confusion.

Before analyzing the situation to come to is understanding, it is necessary that we keep in mind the fact that God can use Satan too to accomplish His purposes, but He also sets and establishes the limits for Satan before he does anything against God’s people, as we see from the life of Job and the Lord Jesus’ conversation with His disciples before His being caught (Job 1:12; 2:6; Luke 22:31-32). Moreover, God had already warned His people, the Israelites, that if they break their covenant with Him, then He will hide His face from them (Deuteronomy 31:16-17), and if they provoke Him by their foolishness and vain works, He too would provoke them by foolish things (Deuteronomy 32:21). Another fact to be kept in mind is that from both accounts of the census, it is apparent that primarily the people of Israel were at fault, and David got involved secondarily, he was provoked into doing something  foolish.

Now let us come to 2 Samuel 24:1 – from its context, i.e., the previous chapter, chapter 23, we are able to understand that this incidence occurred at the latter time of David’s reign, during the years when he had become a great, powerful and dominant king of that region, not just within his own kingdom and people, but also amongst the surrounding kingdoms as well. Chapter 23 also tells us about his valiant military leaders and Generals, and their valiant deeds as well. With this background, we see that this chapter (2 Samuel 24) begins with the words “Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.” So, we can surmise that something had come into the lives of the Israelites and David, that angered God, and it became necessary for Him to teach Israel and David a lesson. From these aforementioned facts, the situation that comes to mind is that although throughout Israel there was an atmosphere of security, contentment, and prosperity, but now they thought of this security, contentment, and prosperity as not a result of God’s benevolence and grace upon them, but because of their great King and his mighty, valiant army and military leaders. Quite likely this feeling, of security because of the large count of his people, his huge army, and the valor of his army and its leaders had brought, or was bringing pride in David as well. That is why, firstly his General Joab tries to reason with him against doing this census, but is unsuccessful and has to go for it (2 Samuel 24:2-4; 1 Chronicles 21:2-4); and, secondly, after the census David holds himself guilty and repents of doing this (2 Samuel 24:10; 1 Chronicles 21:8).

Because of the Israelite’s shifting their confidence regarding their security, contentment, and prosperity to their great and powerful King and his valiant army, and David, who knew God so well and closely, too paying attention to the thoughts being given by Satan, his not paying heed to the warnings against doing so, not first asking God about doing it, and his succumbing to the provocation of Satan, displeased God (1 Chronicles 21:7). As long as David was running for his life from Saul, he consulted God about all his decisions. But now that he had become honorable, the King over all Israel, he became complacent and started to take decisions on his own – his deciding to carry the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1-8), the ordering of this census, his act of adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 23:7-10), etc. are all examples of this complacency that had crept into him. David and Israel were guilty of taking God for granted and lightly, and denying God His glory and honor. God is very particular and jealous of His glory and honor and does not take its being disregarded lightly (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11; Psalms 50:21-22). Therefore, God had to teach the lesson, to both, Israel and David (Malachi 2:2). 

Satan is always on the lookout; the moment some inappropriate or wrong desire crops up in the hearts of God’s people, he immediately steps in to stir it up into a flame that will severely harm the Believer (James 1:12-15). Israel and David broke the sanctity of God’s wall and stepped out of it, and immediately the serpent bit them (Ecclesiastes 10:8). To teach this lesson to David’s people and to David, God allowed Satan to provoke him (1 Chronicles 21:1). After the census, David realized his grave error and was very penitent for it too, but he and his people had to go through the chastening. 

Through the consequences of that census God had to firmly teach Israel and David that their security, contentment, prosperity, and help was neither in the number of the people, nor in the strength and valor of their army and the greatness of their King. But it is God and God alone who is their security, the cause of their contentment and prosperity. For God’s people to trust in anyone or anything else is not only dangerous, but is also very harmful – and this is a lesson for us today as well.

Purpose of the Sufferings of Job

Question: Why did Job have to suffer, though he was righteous?

Answer:

We should look at Job’s story in the light of two verses from the New Testament: Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”; and James 5:11 “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”  James 5:11 is a validation of Romans 8:28 for Job – all the troubles that Satan brought upon Job, were eventually turned by God into a blessing, not only for Job but also for his friends, who had the opportunity of learning about God and His righteousness, firsthand, through an unforgettable experience and lesson.

As we read the first chapter of the Book of Job, we are made aware of two very important things about Job. One is that Job’s righteousness (Job 1:1), though vouched for by God (Job 1:8; 2:3), was actually a righteousness of “works” (Job 1:5), which was also affirmed by his friend Eliphaz (Job 4:6); and second, Job’s fear of God was motivated more from a sense of averting personal harm to him and his family members, than from a sense of actually worshiping God for who God is (Job 3:25). Job himself confesses this while he recounts the good works that he did towards other people, “For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure” (Job 31:23). By virtue of his works, Job was righteous in his own eyes (Job 32:1; 34:5) – a potentially fatal flaw which could have destroyed him through pride. God intended to correct this state of Job’s fallible “righteousness of works”, and bring Job around to the ever-enduring state of “righteousness of faith” that would never falter, never diminish, and against which Satan could never ever have any hold or strength.

God did this by using Satan’s desire to test Job for his reverence and integrity. Through Satan, and the accusations of his friends, God allowed Job to be emptied of all his physical resources, wisdom, capabilities, and temporal status, in which he could have gloried or boasted. Once that had been done, instead of answering any of the questions that Job had asked about his woes, or said for justifying Himself God before, or raised about God's allowing Satan to trouble Job, God confronted Job with His magnificence and creative power, with God’s unfathomable wisdom, and abilities, whereby He governs, regulates, and takes care of everything in the whole of universe. Thereby God brought Job to the realization that despite Job’s insignificance in the universe he was still personally and intimately known by and cared for by God. God also brought Job to the realization of the worthlessness of the righteousness which Job gloried in and tried to maintain and protect through his attempts to appease God – in a sense, Job had been trying to manipulate and use God to serve his selfish ends.

Now, having come to realize God’s stature, irreproachable wisdom and abilities, Job immediately realizes how foolish he was to claim any righteousness of his own through his works and his trying to use God for the same. Job therefore immediately confesses his being vile (Job 40:4-5). And as God continues to further confront him, Job confesses his foolishness and repents (Job 42:1-6) – the very thing that God had intended (James 5:11) and had been driving him to. As Job acknowledges his actual status before God and repents for it, God forgives him (1 John 1:9), and not only restores Job’s losses, but gives him twice as much (Job 42:10) – Romans 8:28 realized for Job; and through Job gives a lesson in righteousness to Job’s friends as well (Job 42:7-8).

So, in fact, Job’s woes were not actually woes, but the Master Craftsman – the Lord God, through the ploys of Satan, was chiseling away the redundant bits, rubbing off the sharp and abrasive parts, and polishing to a glorious shine one of His masterpieces, to give Job a form, stature, and beauty that would ever remain secure and would never be tarnished by anything that Satan may have planned against Job, and would also serve to teach rich spiritual lessons to God’s children down the ages.