David and the census

2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 are interesting passages for providing different insights into the same event. Samuel reveals that God's anger was kindled against Israel and that He punished them by inciting David to take a census. The Chronicler reveals that Satan incited David to take a census. It is interesting that Gad is the seer of the king at this point when Nathan had done so much but that is another topic for another time.

What interests me is that God allows David to make a decision that brings catastrophe on His people. In fact God is the one who incites it in Samuel and yet it is the agent Satan, the accuser, who incites it in Chronicles. In the way of redaction criticism this explanation is simple, the Chronicler did not want to credit God with planning destruction for Israel in His anger. But in any case since both accounts cover the same waterfront I find it interesting that a leader is used as the means through which God's people are punished when God wills Satan to put a stupid idea into the leader's head.

Joab, normally anything but a paragon of righteousness, points out in advice "Hey, dude, this is a lame idea." David still does it and it is David who has to repent in order that the people of Israel might be spared. Interesting. We are not told why God visited this kind of mayhem on the people of Israel, are we? We're just told that God was angry at His people and apparently a great way to punish His people when He is angry with them is to make their leaders do amazingly stupid things. I suspect every variation of the Church has been subject to this at some point. Apparently what appeases God's wrath against His people is for his appointed leaders of said people to admit they're idiots who have sinned against the Lord and brought disgrace, death, and mayhem on His people. What is interesting is that God Himself ordains the leader to get this idea and to execute the idea against the better judgment of his closest advisors. Now that's interesting, I don't really know why, but it's interesting. How it could be applied in any way in a modern setting I don't presume to say, it just seems interesting to me.

Of course some of this is that it's close to bed time, really, and I'd need more time to consider the passage.