Illustrated Stories From The Bible - The Evils of Arithmetic

Illustrated Bible Stories (that they won't tell you in Sunday School)

The Evils of Arithmetic

Why this story matters

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

(Page 3 of 4)

Choosing the punishment

Just after David's initial admission of guilt, Yahweh sends along his prophet, Gad (not to be confused with God), who explains what the punishment will be. Yahweh has devised a macabre game of ‘pick-a-punishment’. Three punishments are offered. The Samuel version lists them as seven years of famine, three months fleeing from the enemy, or three days of plague: “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? (24:13 NASB)” In the Chronicles version, on the other hand, David is offered only three years of famine: “Take your choice: three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies...or three days of the sword of the Lord -days of plague in the land (21:11-12).” Again we have a clear discrepancy in what the Bible says actually took place. Now, since the lives of 70,000 people hang in the balance, David’s choice is critical, yet the two versions disagree over what the choice was. Was it three years of famine or seven?

This discrepancy is very hard to deal with, and attempts to explain it are glaringly weak. One method is to claim that David was originally offered seven years of famine but this was later reduced to three. Again we find apologists inserting their own ideas into the Bible instead of reading it literally as they claim we’re supposed to. There is nothing in the passage that suggests the famine was later reduced to three years. Others believers prefer to say that God’s messenger was emphasizing the middle three years of famine, which would have been the worst, compared to the two before and the two afterward. Again, this is not supported by the text in any way. I challenge the reader to pick up a Bible and try to find these claims. They are simply made up out of thin air to excuse away clear discrepancies.

At any rate David cannot make up his mind. Unfortunately for his poor subjects, he makes the terrible mistake of trusting his god to choose: “Let us fall now into the hands of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hands of man (2 Sam. 24:14).” So Yahweh, in his "mercy", opts for the three days of plague.