Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben and Jo Crick)]

On Tue 14 Jan 2003 (11:39:56), dean.young AT cda.centerpartners.com wrote:
> I HAVE A QUESTION. IN 2 SAMUEL 24, DAVID SINNED AGAINST THE LORD. I'M
> CONFUSED BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THE PART WHERE GOD TOLD HIM NOT TO NUMBER
> THE PEOPLE. COULD ANYONE EXPOUND A LITTLE ON EXACTLY THE "SIN" OF DAVID AND
> WHY HE WAS PUNISHED?

 It appears that YHWH was /Agent Provocateur/ in moving David to number
 the people, and then punishing him for it. But the parallel account in
 1 Cbronicles 21:1 indicates that it was *Satan* who tempted David to sin
 against YHWH.

 David yielded to personal pride in wanting to know the exact number of his
 subjects; he confessed his guilt in verse 10. God gave David three options,
 but David left the decision to YHWH and his great mercies (verse 14). The
 result was a huge decrease in the number of David's subjects. The damage
 might have been much worse, had not God's great mercies halted the plague at
 the threshing-floor of Araunah (verse 16), the site of the future Temple.

 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm