Next verses
5And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
8And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. (1Chronicles21)
5And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
6Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,
7And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.
8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. (2 Samuel 24)
1,100,000 (Israel), and 470,000 (Judah), this is the tally in the Chronicle motif. And 800,000 (Israel), and 500,000 (Judah), are the tallies in the covenant anger motif. This difference is not a problem unless it is first assumed that both accounts record one report-back to David. Joab deliberately withholds counting Levi and Benjamin in the Chronicle report; though this is the higher figure, it is not withstanding incomplete (remember this is in the despised and machinated Israel motif.). In the Samuel report, the 9 month 20 days report, the figure is less complete for Israel, however, more complete for Judah (remember Judah has an added significance to the covenant anger motif.) This is the largest “glowing” discrepancy 1,570,000 does not equal 1,300,000 and the total mean difference in figures is 330,000. This would be an error of 20-25% or one man in every four/five. Never the less, David’s response is to the numbers as given in each thread.
Given the nature of this census expedition there is no problem with seeing both these numbers in the same report, if the report be acknowledged to be incomplete and not finalized, which the context suggests.
David acknowledges foolishness in both accounts; the fool says in his heart there is no God. David is brought to realize that he has commissioned this census outside of his love and trust in God, just as any godless king would do: he has been used by Satan, so the iniquity of God’s servant in relation to Israel must be dealt with (Chronicles, do away with the iniquity). In the covenant theme, it is David’s heart that smites him: “take away” strikes me as a bit more personal, heart talk, where “do away” seems more external. Both are true and needed.
I think of our Lord’s instruction regarding how we ought to pray: the whole Lord’s Prayer, but notably: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Our enemy the Devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devourer. Were it is we fail to live by faith, we could easily be provoked, moved, by Satan to do damage to others. Oh, Lord prevent us. As costly, as pomp, as kingdom business, as in the court, as this census and these numbers may be, still sin and the removal of its iniquity is far more important. These census figures were forever left in an indefinite form. Faithful scribes never worried themselves over trying to change them, for they were not important in light of the fallowing events. And lastly I am reminded of our Lords exhortation, “If thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the alter, and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” What is more important?
In the Satan’s hate thread, it is important to see how abominable the whole thing was to Joab, yet he serves the king. In both threads David realizes, on his own, the “greatness” of his sin. And in the covenant anger thread, a list of towns and lands must be pertinent. I wonder why and how?
