In 2 Samuel 24, we see the opening verse tell us that God incited David, and in 1 Chronicles 21, we see that Satan incited David. Why the discrepancy?
(First rule to remember – there are no ‘discrepancies’ in the Bible. Scripture does not contradict itself. Though different accounts of the same occurrences may appear contradictory, there are explanations. I always suggest a good study Bible (like the ESV) which will help clarify some of these things.)
Getting back to the incitement of David which resulted in his ordering an unlawful census of Israel…
We can better understand this when we think back to the book of Job. Remember how Satan did certain things to Job, beginning with his wealth, then his family, and then is own health? Satan was only able to do this because God had allowed him. Satan is not an equal to God but is subservient to Him. God uses evil agents (Satan/demons) to accomplish His purposes.
It is the same here. God allowed Satan to incite (entice) David to do the census. It was sin likely because David actually acted on the temptation, rather than God’s command. But ultimately, God uses this (and had planned to the whole time) for the purpose of David purchasing the future site of the temple. God was using David as King to defeat the enemies of Israel, to amass the resources for and the land for the future temple that Solomon would build. The unlawful census was part of that process.
So, if God allowed Satan to entice David to sin, and David sinned – how could it be David’s fault? Short answer: because he still sinned. The Lord allowed Satan to do it, knowing what David would do, and He knew his purposes in allowing it, but David was still the one who sinned, and sin has consequences.
The moral of the story is this: nothing – NOTHING – happens by chance and without purpose. God can even use the sin of man to bring about His purposes. It doesn’t excuse sin in any way, shape or form. But once again it points to the absolute sovereignty of God overall ALL things. It also points us to the holiness of God in that even though He can work His purposes, we are still held accountable for our sin. Just as David was.
We can get bogged down in a lot of things that we may not understand in Scripture. I am not a biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination. But what I do know is that even when I may have trouble grasping certain doctrines or information in scripture – I can constantly come back to what I know to be true about God. And I can trust that if I am diligent and prayerful in my reading of His Word, that He will give me the understanding that I need.
His holiness and His sovereignty are the two things I always come back to even when I am not quite sure I understand.
Sola Deo Gloria.
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