Morpheus,
2Sa 24:1 Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah."
2Sa 24:2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people."
2Sa 24:3 But Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?"
2Sa 24:4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel.
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1Ch 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
1Ch 21:2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number."
1Ch 21:3 Joab said, "May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
1Ch 21:4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
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King David decided to number Israel. Joab tried to dissuade him from doing that. David prevailed, Israel was numbered, a pestilence occurred.
From a religious point of view this happened because either:
1. David out rightly sinned as he did with Bathsheba or
2. Satan tempted David and won out
The writer of 2 Chron. says Satan tempted David.
Religious thinking on this: But wait, does Satan have the power to stand up against God's people and tempt the King without God's allowance? No, of course not. Satan can only act against Israel if God allows him to act.
The writers, or redactors, of 2 Samuel chose to go directly to God on this one. Note, where the first verse says, "Now again the anger," showing a continuation of a previous time when God's anger blazed.
The writers of 2 Chronicles, on the other hand, put the blame on Satan as the first cause.
Another way to look at this:
Did God actually give David three choices? This is a literary device something very much understood and allowed in religious writing. From what I've read the ancient Jews did not believe the OT scriptures should all be understood literally. They were much more interested in the lessons of the story, the religious lesson, the spiritual lesson.
What is the teaching, that was the question. The lesson with David was that there is always a price to pay when disobeying God. No one had to die for that lesson to be learned. A good story will suffice.
Yet another way to look at this: It's all just lies about a mythical god.
Note to Bethel:
It's interesting how the Governing Body likes to use the principles in the OT when it suits them but they have conveniently ignored the lesson of this account and have "numbered" the anointed.
They don't really believe in God do they.
Another lesson: If the Governing Body is in trouble it's because, like King David, God is allowing their adversaries and internally generated bad advice to cause them to stumble.
But they don't really believe in God do they.
