The text for this week’s sermon, 2 Samuel chapter 24, begins with this line: “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He incited David against them…” All on its own, this can raise a lot of thorny questions: Why is the LORD angry with the people? How does God’s love and His anger “fit” together? What does it mean that the LORD “incited David” against them? Does that mean that He made David do something against his will? As the story unfolds, most of these questions get harder to answer, not easier.
Just on its own, 2 Samuel 24:1 is a challenge. But, this problem text gets much worse when one confronts the parallel version in 1 Chronicles chapter 21. The books of Samuel and Chronicles describe the same time period in history, and while they relate the same events, they often include different details, which are relevant to the overall point of the human author. Think, for instance, of two different historians writing on the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. One might focus on the leadership of the generals, while the other might focus on the political implications of the battle. Both would cover the same battlefield and events, but include different details and ideas.
In Scripture, the authors of the books of Samuel and Chronicles tell overlapping stories of Israel’s kings and kingdoms, but with fundamentally different purposes. Samuel serves as a prophetic warning about disobedience leading to exile, while the Chronicler offers hope and restoration to a struggling, spiritually-oppressed community. Samuel warns about Israel’s faithlessness to the Covenant with God. Chronicles highlights the promises to David and his descendants, that God would preserve a kingdom and a people for Himself. These different perspectives show in the details and descriptions of the historical events narrated by the authors.
But, what a difference when one turns to 1 Chronicles 21:1 where we read: “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” Wait a minute! Did God incite David, or did Satan? Major difference there! It’s one thing to point out a different perspective, it’s another to mix up if God or Satan did something!
Here’s where the fullness of the Bible gives insight. Scripture is abundantly clear on the sovereignty of God—the Creator rules! Nothing takes our God by surprise, and His hand is behind all things. To report that the LORD incited David to take a census, is simply acknowledging God’s providential care over all creation. However, the Bible also reveals to us that the Lord uses secondary agents to accomplish His goals. What we have here are complementary perspectives on how the Lord accomplishes His purposes—Samuel identifies God as the ultimate author of all things; the Chronicler recognizes Satan’s subservient role. Remember the opening chapters of Job, where God allows Satan to tempt Job—the ultimate providence is God’s, but Satan is the intermediate agent. In this situation, God sovereignly uses Satan to tempt David as a form of judgment on Israel, but the blame and the resulting sin rests with Satan, Israel, and David himself.
Read 2 Samuel chapter 24 in preparation for worship this week.
- Why was taking a census of the people such a sin in God’s eyes? Note that Joab realized it, and it came upon David in a flash. Where might we exhibit similar sinfulness in our lives?
- We see the conviction of the Holy Spirit in verse 10. Have you ever experienced a delayed conviction for sin? How might we train our consciences to be more sensitive to the Spirit’s work?
- The plague kills 70,000 people. How does a leader’s personal sin impact the broader community or family?
- In verse 17, how does David’s plea and intercession point us toward the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus?
- Why does David insist on paying for the land where he builds an altar? How does this function in parallel for you today?
By Henry Knapp