Why this story matters

(commentary on 2nd Samuel 24, 1st Chronicles 21)

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What did David do wrong?

When David hears Joab’s report on the size of his army, it dawns on him that he's done something wrong. This is strange because Joab had already told him this was wrong: “But Joab replied, ‘My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?’ The king's word, however, overruled Joab (1st Chon. 21:3-4).” So David overruled his wise captain and thereby brought guilt upon Israel by taking the census, a guilt that apparently motivated Yahweh to kill a colossal 70,000 people.

It is significant that apologists can't adequately explain why David’s actions would produce guilt. Some analysts suggest that counting soldiers is a sin because it brings the country closer to war. Others claim that David was relying on the strength of his army instead of relying on God to keep him safe. But many people find this problematic. Why would Yahweh kill all those people because of something David did? This doesn't seem fair. Therefore, defenders of the faith have looked for better answers.

First, there is the anthropological argument. This was a "collectivist" type of society, and the king's guilt was shared by all. The problem is that this only shows the mindset of these primitive storytellers. It does not explain why a perfectly just, all-knowing deity would punish people so horribly for something they didn't do. Apologists who take this view have to explain why it's moral to kill someone for something someone else did. They can't.

Probably the best attempt to explain this comes from a little known verse from Exodus. The verse reads, "When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them" (Ex. 30:12 NASB). That certainly sounds familiar, and apologists assert that, in this case, the people didn't pay their ransom. There are a couple of problems with this. First, neither version of the story says anything about a ransom not being paid. Apologists simply add it in to the story as a way of trying to make sense of the tragedy. And more importantly, this doesn't absolve Yahweh of anything. It's just like saying he killed 70,000 people because they didn't pay their taxes. Do apologists really want that for an image of their supposedly loving and merciful god?

Who made David take the census and why?

There's one more rationalization that must be dealt with. It concerns a discrepancy between the versions that occurs at the very beginning. The Samuel version says that Yahweh was angry with Israel and forced David to take the census: “Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah" (2 Sam. 24:1).” This rationalization says that Yahweh made David take the census so that he could punish the people. This doesn't work for a couple of reasons. First, why would Yahweh need a trumped up reason to punish the people? If they did something wrong, he should say what it was and should punish them accordingly. And what could they possibly have done that would justify killing 70,000 of them? And third, there is no mention of this anywhere in the Chronicles version. If this was the reason, surely the writer of Chronicles would have told us. 

In fact, Chronicles contradicts Samuel once again by saying it was actually Satan’s idea: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel (1 Chron. 21:1)." And Chronicles goes further and confirms that it was indeed David who sinned, and that the punishment was because of the census: "This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel (1 Chron 21:7)." It can't be much clearer. It was David’s command to take the census that angered Yahweh and the slaughter was in retaliation.

David even admits it himself: "David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing" (2 Sam. 24:10)." And later on, after David witnesses all the devastation, he reminds Yahweh that he is the sinner and the victims are innocent: "When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family" (2 Sam. 24:17).  It would appear from the text, then, that the sin was taking the census, and that the people were innocent. Attempts to blame the people go against what the Bible plainly states. The people were slaughtered because David counted his troops.

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