1 Chronicles 21:1-7
Introduction
The events in this chapter take place around 975 BC. David is now sixty-eight years old. The events of the previous chapter take place around 995 BC. The twenty years in between are filled with the adultery of David, the revolt of Absalom and David’s flee. The Holy Spirit passes all this by here. In the books of the Chronicles the sins of David are only mentioned when it is necessary to give us insight into the manner in which God fulfills His counsel. As mentioned before, the books of the Chronicles describe the history of God’s people from God’s perspective and not from the perspective of man’s responsibility. The latter happens in the books of the Kings.The sin of David through the census is told here, because in the atonement of that sin the place is indicated where the temple is to come. It is therefore the fulfillment of God’s purpose, for which He even uses the sin of a member of His people. This fits exactly with the perspective that the chronicler, under the guidance of God’s Spirit, has in mind.The Sin of the Census
The sin of the census is also found in 2 Samuel 24. There we read that the LORD incites David to count the people (2Sam 24:1). The chronicler says that satan moves David to number. Here we have one of those apparent contradictions that the opponents of the Bible like to use to portray the Bible as unreliable. But 1 Chronicles 21 is not a correction to a previously written account in 2 Samuel 24. We can learn from Job here. In the book of Job satan brings all the misery over Job. However, Job does not attribute this misery to satan, but to God. The devil acts according to his own evil nature, but is ultimately nothing but an instrument in God’s hand. Paul sometimes attributes something to satan (1Thes 2:18), knowing very well that God rules his life. It is therefore important to realize that God’s hand is present in what satan wants to do by moving David to number. God is above all that happens on earth and not satan. In 2 Samuel 24 it is a test from the LORD to put David to the test. David fails there in his responsibility as king. God’s king must remain dependent on God alone and not rely on the power of his army of which he wants to know the number of militant men. In 1 Chronicles 21 it is satan who wants to disturb the counsel of God and to do so by overthrowing David. The impressive thing is that God does not let Himself be disturbed in the execution of His plans and that it is precisely through this sin that He achieves His goal. This never means an apology for sin. Through our failures God glorifies Himself and works out His purposes. We already see this at the fall into sin. Not that God would have wanted the fall. God abhors from sin. Yet He has a greater blessing for man than without the fall. This is the secret of God, which cannot be understood by us, but can only be worshiped by us in faith. To us God’s counsel and our failure are not compatible, but to God they are. Another question is whether it was sin to number the people. After all, in the wilderness God has numbered His people several times (Num 1:2; Num 26:2), hasn’t He? Here too, we need to look beyond the fact of the census. The censuses He has had done, he has had done in connection with the heave offering to make atonement (Exo 30:12-16). In the New Testament, in rounded numbers, numbers are also sometimes mentioned (Acts 1:15; Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4). However, the number of believers in the churches ‘established’ by Paul is never mentioned. There are things that are wrong in themselves. These are things that are simply sin, for example because they are clearly forbidden by God in His law. There are also things that are not sin in themselves, but are wrong because of the mind in which something is done. The latter is the case here. David wants to know how great the fighting power of his army is. He forgets that he depends on God for his strength and not on the number of militant men at his disposal. He forgets that all power rests with God alone. David’s prosperity exposes him to the temptations of the enemy. As head of Israel and conqueror of all enemies, he wishes to know the power of the people, who are his glory. With this he forgets the power of God Who gave him all this and made Israel great. He forgot on which way he won from Goliath and what he said then (1Sam 17:45-46).The record of the sin of the census begins with the statement that satan stands up against Israel (1Chr 21:1). With satan it is about the destruction of God’s people. In the people there are enough leads for him to attack, but to strike the people in the most effective way he turns to David, the leader of God’s people. If he can tempt the leader to sin, it will have consequences for the people. Satan seems to be successful. David is receptive to the whisper of satan. He instructs Joab to number Israel “from Beersheba even to Dan”, which is from the extreme south to the extreme north (1Chr 21:2). Joab must therefore number the whole people. If he has done that, he must bring David the result, so that David “knows their number”.Joab strongly resists this commission (1Chr 21:3). With clear arguments he tries to change David’s thoughts. He acknowledges the kingship of David and reminds him that all his subjects are his servants. So why number? It seems he has a better understanding of the folly of such a census than David. His mind tells him that this matter is not according to the will of God. It will only bring calamity to the people, he says to David.David, however, is not willing to change his mind. This time his word is too strong for Joab (1Chr 21:4a). Does David make it a prestige case? Does he not want to listen to Joab, who has shown himself to be an unreliable man several times because he doesn’t care about David? In any case, David should have listened this time, but does not do it. Joab goes throughout all Israel and returns to Jerusalem with the result of the census (1Chr 21:4b-5). David, however, gets an incorrect number. Out of abhorrence for the command, Joab did not number two tribes. The abhorrence of Joab is justified as a fact and is underlined by what is said in 1Chr 21:7 about God’s displeasure with this matter. The census was evil in the eyes of God. David brings guilt upon the people by his action. It brings God’s judgment on Israel. God’s wrath ignites against His people because there is also a spirit of pride in the people about the position they have obtained (2Sam 24:1). Does not the judgment of God play into the hands of satan? In 1Chr 21:1 it says that satan stands up against Israel and now we read that God stands up against Israel in judgment. Superficially, it may seem so. But if we look deeper, we see that this is not the case. It has to do with the complete difference in intentions that satan has and God’s purpose. Satan seeks the destruction of God’s people and God seeks the restoration of His people. In the rest of this history we hear nothing more of satan. He has fulfilled his role and is no longer needed; he doesn’t matter anymore. God has taken the matter into His hands and is working toward the goal He has set Himself.
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