Have you ever compared 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1? Some would suggest we have a contradiction in our Bibles. Did Yahweh incite David to conduct a census of the people, or was Satan the culpable agent, or was it both or neither? Or what about David’s culpability (guilt or responsibility)?
| 2 Samuel 24:1 | 1 Chronicles 21:1 |
| Again the anger of the Lord [Yahweh] was kindled against Israel, and he [Yahweh] incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” | Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
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Why bring up this contradiction? Quite simple, it fits well with our text this morning concerning Judas, and I don’t want you to be blindsided by someone hoping to stump you. First, the stuff I found on the internet was not helpful. Although I did not spend endless time digging,
The first solution suggested was that the antecedent of the “he” in 2 Samuel is Satan. Thus, the text would read “the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and Satan incited David…” But that idea is entirely unacceptable. You can’t insert a subject into a verse from a different book of the Bible. Yes, they are describing the same event, but the authors are not the same.
The second misconception I found online was that the anger in 2 Samuel 24:1 was Yahweh’s reaction to David numbering the warriors, etc., but that is not what the text says. The reason Yahweh is angry is not stated. The anger preceded David’s numbering of Israel; it was not Yahweh’s reaction to David’s sin. Yahweh incited David to do what David did. Similar to how Jesus told Judas to do what he was going to do quickly (John 13:27).
Why Yahweh incited David to number the people is unclear, but it seems the incitement was to bring judgment upon David and the nation for sins that aren’t outlined or identified. What is also clear, through the additional information 1 Chronicles 21:1 provides, is that Yahweh used the Satan (I include the definite article “the” to remind you that Satan is a title; he is the adversary of God) to incite David to conduct the census. This is what we see in the gospels concerning the Satan and Judas Iscariot. In John 13:2, the devil put the betrayal in Judas’s heart. Again, in John 13:27, we read, “Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.” Then Jesus [Yahweh in the flesh] said to Judas, “What you are going to do, DO quickly.”
Consider with me how similar these accounts are with one major exception. In both cases, Yahweh, Satan, and the man (David or Judas) are all named and involved. In the case of David, it was Yahweh, and in the case of Judas, it was Jesus telling each what to do. In both cases, Satan is individually named as being involved in both men’s sins. In both cases, the man’s action (David or Judas) led to Yahweh pouring out judgment. In the former case, it is about David and Israel; in the latter, it is about Judas and Jesus. But the differences are stark.
First, Israel deserved their judgment from Yahweh, but Jesus had not sinned and did not deserve the wrath of God. He and He alone was without sin. Yet God poured out His wrath on His Christ. Second, David repented and was restored, but not Judas. David admits his sin to Yahweh. Read it with me, “Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, ‘Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.’ ” (2Sa 24:17). Matthew 27:3-5 records something like Judas’s repentance, but with significant differences. Judas does not go to Jesus; instead, he seeks forgiveness from the religious leaders and then hangs himself. Ultimately, both are culpable and get their just reward, like you and I, apart from God’s grace and mercy.
