24:1
This verse may cause us some problems, for why did God incite David against Israel? 1 Chron 21:1 says that Satan incited David, and that Satan rose up against Israel. So what is going on? We often ask the question, is it God? Is it man? Or is it the devil? And the answer is sometimes “Yes”. Ultimately it is God’s purposes that are being fulfilled. The Biblical view is that God is fully in charge of everything, all of the time. We tend to see God as reacting. It is our worldview that needs to change. So why has God’s anger burned against Israel? Maybe it was their part in the rebellion under Absalom, or maybe there was secret idolatry going on.
Why was this census wrong? A census in itself was not wrong, for God Himself had told Moses to take a census. The motives of David are probably the problem here. He was doing it out of insecurity and pride.
24:2-4
Joab, the commander of the army, appears again, and adds to his enigmatic character by displaying more wisdom and understanding than David did. David told Joab to carry out the census, but Joab questions the wisdom of such a move. David was not for listening, and he was the king, so the census was carried out.
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