“In the Old Testament, King David, (apparently out of pride) decided to take a census of Israel. This bothered God very much. As a result, God punished David and the entire nation. The problem is that 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel give two completely contradictory accounts of this incident. The writer of Chronicles tells us that Satan put the idea into David’s mind. The writer of Samuel tells us that God put the idea into David’s mind. We couldn’t possibly have more of a contradiction!”
1 Chron 21:1
Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
2 Sam 24:1
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.”
Yes, this does look like a contradiction. The solution comes with an understanding of the way ancient Jews spoke. They used extreme, exaggerated phrases and spoke somewhat poetically a great deal of the time. They also talked from the point of view of God’s sovereignty. At times, they spoke as if every event, (even an action of Satan ) was caused by God. What they meant, of course, is that every event is allowed by God. He may disapprove, but He still allows the free will of people and even the free will of evil spirits. An ancient Jew could say that Satan told David to take the census. This same Jew could say God told David to take the census and mean, that God allowed Satan to tell David to take the census. Strange as it may seem to us, the ancient Jews would not have even flinched with such a variety of speech. We must realize that if the Bible did not contradict itself to the original audience it was written for, it cannot contradict itself to us.
If you’ll notice, God was just as upset with David in either account:
1 Chron 21:7-8
This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
The LORD said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'”
2 Sam 24:10-12
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.”
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'”
Wouldn’t this be an even bigger contradiction, that God would get cross with David for doing the very thing, He, Himself commanded? The obvious answer is that God did not command it. He allowed Satan to put the idea in David’s mind. There is Biblical precedent for God permitting Satan to do things that are against His ideal will:
Job 1:9-12
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
And yet, throughout the book of Job, people talk is if this calamity came from God. Satan is never mentioned again after Chapter Two. Even when God talks to Job at the end of the book, God does not feel the need to deny the suggestion that He did this. That’s because “God doing it” or “God allowing Satan to do it” were simply two different ways of saying the same thing.
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE
New International Version NIV
Copyright 1973, 1979, 1984 by International Bible Society
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
All rights reserved.
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