2 Samuel 24:1-9

2 Samuel 24:1-9

[1] And again  the anger  of the LORD  was kindled  against Israel,  and he moved  David  against them to say,  number  Israel  and Judah.  [2] For the king  said  to Joab  the captain  of the host,  which was with him, Go now through  all the tribes  of Israel,  from Dan  even to Beersheba,  and number  ye the people,  that I may know  the number  of the people.  [3] And Joab  said  unto the king,  Now the LORD  thy God  add  unto the people,  how many soever  they be, an hundredfold,  and that the eyes  of my lord  the king  may see  it: but why doth my lord  the king  delight  in this thing?  [4] Notwithstanding the king's  word  prevailed  against Joab,  and against the captains  of the host.  And Joab  and the captains  of the host  went out  from the presence  of the king,  to number  the people  of Israel.  [5] And they passed over  Jordan,  and pitched  in Aroer,  on the right side  of the city  that lieth in the midst  of the river  of Gad,  and toward Jazer:  [6] Then they came  to Gilead,  and to the land  of Tahtimhodshi;  and they came  to Danjaan,  and about  to Zidon,  [7] And came  to the strong hold  of Tyre,  and to all the cities  of the Hivites,  and of the Canaanites:  and they went out  to the south  of Judah,  even to Beersheba.  [8] So when they had gone  through all the land,  they came  to Jerusalem  at the end  of nine  months  and twenty  days.  [9] And Joab  gave up  the sum  of the number  of the people  unto the king:  and there were in Israel  eight  hundred  thousand  valiant  men  that drew  the sword;  and the men  of Judah  were five  hundred  thousand  men. 

What does 2 Samuel 24:1-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

David probably ordered this census about975 B.C.
"After the revolutions of both Absalom and Sheba it would have been reasonable for David to reassess his military situation against the possibility of similar uprisings or other emergencies." [1]
In support of this hypothesis is the fact that Joab and the army commanders were able to take over nine months to gather the population statistics ( 2 Samuel 24:8). This suggests a very peaceful condition in Israel that characterized David"s later reign but not his earlier reign.
The writer of Chronicles wrote that Satan (perhaps an adversarial neighbor nation since the Heb. word satan means "adversary") moved David to take the census ( 1 Chronicles 21:1). Yet in 2 Samuel 24:1 the writer of Samuel said God was responsible. Both were true; God used an adversary to bring judgment on the objects of His anger (cf. Job 1-2; Acts 2:23). [2]
". . . paradoxically, a divinely-sent affliction can be called a "messenger of Satan" ( 2 Corinthians 12:7 ...)." [3]
We can identify perhaps four levels of causality in 2 Samuel 24:1. God was the final cause, the primary instrumental cause was Satan, the secondary instrumental cause was some hostile human enemy, and David was the efficient cause. The Lord was angry with Israel for some reason. He evidently allowed Satan to stir up hostile enemy forces to threaten David and Israel (cf. Job 1-2). In response to this military threat, David chose to number the people. David"s choice was not his only option; he chose to number the people. He sinned because he failed to trust God. The Lord did not force David to sin.
Quite clearly David took the census to determine his military strength. Taking a census did not constitute sin (cf. Exodus 30:11-12; Numbers 1:1-2). David"s sin was apparently placing confidence in the number of his soldiers rather than in the Lord.
"For the Chronicler in particular [4], ... the arena of David"s transgression appears to be that taking a census impugns the faithfulness of God in the keeping of His promises-a kind of walking by sight instead of by faith." [5]
"Register" ( 2 Samuel 24:2; 2 Samuel 24:4) literally means to "muster" in preparation for battle. Joab proceeded in a counterclockwise direction around Israel. [6] The territory described included, but did not extend as far as, all the territory that God had promised to Abraham. There appear to have been800 ,000 veterans in Israel plus300 ,000 recruits (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:5). In Judah there was a total of500 ,000. The figure of470 ,000 in1Chronicles21probably omitted the Benjamites (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:6). The Hebrew word eleph can mean either "thousand" or "military unit." Here it could very well mean military unit. [7] The parallel account in1Chronicles21says that Joab did not number the men of Levi and Benjamin because David"s command was abhorrent to Joab ( 1 Chronicles 21:6).
Joab wisely warned David of his folly ( 2 Samuel 24:3). Even such a man as Joab could see that what David planned to do was wrong. Nevertheless David chose to ignore his counsel ( 2 Samuel 24:4). He behaved as one who refuses to be accountable to anyone, which was easy for David to do since he was the king. The thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and He struck Israel ( 1 Chronicles 21:7).