David’s+Census

toc = = =2 Samuel 24:1,2=

**//2The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people."//**
 * //1//****//Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah."//**

The “he” in the verse one is not God, but Satan. Satan was the one that “incited” David to go and take the census. Some translations have the “h” in he capitalized, to show that it was in fact God who prompted David, but the account in 1 Chronicles 21:1 states, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel,” clearly showing that Satan was the force moving in David’s heart. **(i)** So the Lord allowed the devil to come into David’s heart, but it was Satan that actually tempted David. But one thing remains unclear, is it God's anger or David's sin that directly lead to the punishment that is to come in verse 15? In other words, was God already angry about something the people of Israel did or was the David's action of taking the census the sin that initiated the punishment? Scholars have had trouble deciding between the two. **(ii)** Ultimately the best and most agreed upon answer lies in that yes the people of Israel committed sins that merited the punished of God, but here it is Satan that penetrated David's heart and enticed him to take the census that thus led to the punishment.**(iii)** = = =2 Samuel 24:3,4= = =

= =

**//3//** **//But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”//** **//4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.//**

Taking a census shows ownership of the thing that is being counted. By taking the census without God’s permission, David is implying that Land of Israel is his and not the Lord’s. **(iv)** In this passage Joab is clearly questioning what David wants to set in motion. Joab sees that what David wants to do is foolish and asks him in a subtle matter to reconsider. He even tells the King that it is God who should increase Israel military, not David for it is not David’s to count, but God’s. Joab understood that David wanted to do this out of pride, to measure the size of his army so that he could boast about it. **(v)** But it was not just Joab who brought this to David’s attention; the account states that even the commanders in his army warned David of his actions. And this was not the first time Joab was the voice of reason, for in 2 Samuel 19:5-7, Joab warns King David that his refusal of expressing appreciation to his men for their victory would endanger his kingship. King David was saddened by the death of his son Absalom, and failed to appreciate the victory that his men had won for him, but due to Joab stern rebuke, David returned to his exercise of kingly authority. **(vi)** But this time Joab was unable to convince the king and the census was taken.

= = =2 Samuel 24:5-9=

= = **//5//** **//After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.//** **//8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.//** **//9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.//**

The account here goes into what had to be done in order to get the census taken. They had to camp and do a lot of traveling in order to count all the able men in Israel and Judah. **(vii)** After nine months and twenty days the men were finally where able to return to Jerusalem and give the final count to the King. 800,000 men in Israel were capable to fight and 500,000 in Judah. **(viii)** Now there are different opinions of whether or not every single Jew was counted. Regardless of the method taken by David, most scholars believe the number was accurate of the kingdom. 1 Chronicles 21:6-7 states that Judah and Benjamin were not counted. **(ix)**

= = = = =2 Samuel 24:10=

= =
 * //10//****//Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly."//**

Here David begins to see what he has done. He acknowledges he disobeyed and dishonored God in taking the census. **(x)** That he just jeopardized the KING à king relationship that made the nation so successful. For it was not the greatness of David that made the nation of Israel so successful in battle, but the fact that David was submissive to God and held the Will of the Lord greater than his own. But because David broke that connection and acted on his own, on his sin, punishment must befall him and the nation. **(xi)** But this feeling of regret did not come immediately, for by the time David felt this way ten months have passed and the census was mostly completed. 1 Chronicles 21: 6-7 states that David recognized his sin and ordered the census to be stopped before Judah and Benjamin were counted. **(xii)**

= = =2 Samuel 24:11-18=

= = **//11//****//When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,//** **//12"Go and speak to David, 'Thus the LORD says, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you."'"//** **//13So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me."//** **//14Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man."//** **//Pestilence Sent//** **//16When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.//** **//17//****//Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, "Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father's house."//**
 * //15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.//**

God spoke to the seer Gad and told him to deliver a message to David. Here God offered David three options: (1) seven years of famine, (2) flee three months from your enemies, or (3) three days of pestilence (plague) in Israel. David chose the three days of plague. **(xiii)** Had he chosen the second option, which essentially meant going to war, the King himself was in no true danger. Had he chosen the first option of famine, the rich would not be as affected, for their money would shelter them of the consequences. So by choosing the third option of plague, where all Israel would be affected, regardless of social standing, it showed his true sorrow over his sin for it was the one option where even the King would be affected. **(xiv)** And then the calamity struck and thousands of people died. David understood he sinned, but he chose to put his faith in God rather than in men, as he said in verse 14, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." But nevertheless 70,000 people died from the pestilence, and when the angel of the Lord stood over Jerusalem in order to destroy it, God abandoned the calamity and ordered the angel to stop. And when David saw the destruction that was coming down on his people, he wanted his family and himself to intercede for them. **(xv)** This points to the main foundation of the Davidic Covenant, that a righteous King offers his life as a sacrifice for his people, but David was not the correct king for he was not righteous. The correct king is the Lord Jesus Christ and he will intercede for His people and his righteousness imputed to the people.

= = =2 Samuel 24:18-23=

= = **//19David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.//** **//20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.//** **//21Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, __ “ __that the plague may be held back from the people."//** **//22Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.//** **//23"Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."//**
 * //18So Gad came to David that day and said to him, "(Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."//**

The threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite was a site of great historical significance, for in 2 Chronicles 3:1 it tells us the names of David's sons. And David was told by Gad to build an altar there and offer a sacrifice. Moreover this is the location the Lord wants for the construction of His temple, which will be built later during Solomon’s reign. Once there, David, crossed path with Araunah, and David asked if he could buy the threshing floor from him so he could make the altar to the Lord so the plague could be held back. **(xvi)** Araunah was most probably a a citizen of Jerusalem but of non-semitic descendant as can be inferred by his name. Many believe of Hittie ancestry. Some scholar argue that Araunah was of Hurrian ruling aristocracy and that he was a pre-Israelite king of Jerusalem. Regardless Araunah was a generous man that offered to give the land for the altar, an ox for burnt offering, and the ox’s yoke for firewood.

=2 Samuel 24:24= = =

= = **//24//****//However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing " So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.//**

But David knew he could not take Araunah’s offer; for had David merely taken those things without paying for them and gave them to the Lord, they were not true sacrifices for they cost David nothing. So David decided to buy the things from Araunah. The fact that David performed the offering shows that he understood the death of the 70,000 people in Israel did not atone for the sins committed. For only the blood of an approved substitute can atone for one’s sins. This shows how David has returned to fellowship with the Lord and the fact that the Lord withdrew the plague from Israel means He was accepted David’s sacrifice. **(xvii)** The altar signifies that God is going to dwell among the people of Israel and the temple that is going to be built later in the reign of Solomon is going to be the symbol of God’s presence among His people. (Baker 2009)**(xviii)**

(i) Baker, David W., Daniel I. Block, and Daniel Bodi, [|Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel]Zondervan (2009)

(ii) Robert D. Bergen, 1,2 Samuel (Vol 7), Broadman & Holman Publishers (1984)

(iv) Robert D. Bergen, 1,2 Samuel (Vol 7), Broadman & Holman Publishers (1984)

(v) Albert Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (1 Samuel -Ruth), Baker Book House (1967)

(vi) P. Kyle McCarter Jr, II Samuel, Doubleday & Company, Inc (1984)

(vii) Anderson, A. A., Thomas Nelson, [|Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 11, 2 Samuel (anderson), 342pp](1989)

(viii) John R. Franke, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament IV (1-2 Samuel), InterVasity Press (2005)

(ix) Robert D. Bergen, 1,2 Samuel (Vol 7), Broadman & Holman Publishers (1984)

(x) Anderson, A. A., Thomas Nelson, [|Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 11, 2 Samuel (anderson), 342pp](1989)

(xi) John R. Franke, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament IV (1-2 Samuel), InterVasity Press (2005)

(xii) John R. Franke, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament IV (1-2 Samuel), InterVasity Press (2005)

(xiii) Robert D. Bergen, 1,2 Samuel (Vol 7), Broadman & Holman Publishers (1984)

(xiv) Anderson, A. A., Thomas Nelson, [|Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 11, 2 Samuel (anderson), 342pp](1989)

(xv) Albert Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (1 Samuel -Ruth), Baker Book House (1967)

(xvi) John R. Franke, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament IV (1-2 Samuel), InterVasity Press (2005)

(xvii) Anderson, A. A., Thomas Nelson, [|Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 11, 2 Samuel (anderson), 342pp](1989)

(xviii) Baker, David W., Daniel I. Block, and Daniel Bodi, [|Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel]Zondervan (2009)

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