other narratives, are both pretty long (which is an indicator of its importance in the author’s mind). For Samuel, it is another story showing David’s sensitivity and willingness to repent. For Chronicles, it tells the returning exiles the origin story for the temple’s location. For both, it reveals an amazing example of God’s holiness with a strong emphasis on His loving grace. It is comforting to know that God will forgive even the most offensive sins.
The first interesting item comes to us right out of the starting blocks. In Samuel’s account it is the Lord who is angry at Israel and incites David to sin but Chronicles states that Satan did it. What gives here? Well, there is no clear answer to this question, but there is a lot of food for thought.
The word satan means adversary or accuser. In this case, it could refer to an anonymous human adversary or it could be a proper name and refer to the Accuser who stands before God’s court. Chronicles comes early in God’s progressive revelation so at the time of this writing the general reader did not have the full revelation of Satan being known as God’s enemy, the Devil (but Job 1-2 offers some clear hints in that direction). We have already seen the word appear before, with Balaam in Numbers 22:22, 32 where the Angel of the LORD is referred to as Balaam’s adversary (the word is satan, which brings up an interesting discussion, eh?). In 1 Samuel 29:4 the Philistine commanders use it to describe their fear of what David might become to them and in Psalm 109:6 it is a wicked man. The book of Job says that Satan was the one to instigate trouble for Job and God simply allowed it.
So, the question still remains: who incited David to sin? We know God does not incite people to sin but does test people to see how they will respond. We know that Satan does incite people to sin as a way to disrupt God’s purposes. Is it possible that God, in His righteous anger, allowed the Accuser or an accuser to test David? It is worth considering. But these stories have other interesting differences, too.
No one knows why this census was wrong in the Lord’s eyes. We do know that it focused on counting the fighting men (rather than all of Israel) and so it might have had something to do with pride in relying on one’s own resources instead of the Lord. Chronicles shows Joab as more strongly opposing this action and reveals that Joab did not count the Levites (they are exempt from military service, Numbers 1:47-50) and Benjamin (no known reason why, perhaps because their tribe housed Moses’ tabernacle, 1 Chronicles 21:29).
I highlight this to get at the numerical difference in the stories. We know that numbers in the ancient Near East are not used like numbers in the modern West. They took a different view of them and use them in ways we never would. So why are the census numbers different? No one knows, but the Qumran scrolls strongly suggest that the Chronicles author was using Samuel’s story as a source so the numbers are likely different for a reason. Samuel reports a higher number than does Chronicles but Chronicles is quick to state that this number did not include two tribes. When we consider the culture’s view toward numbers, that the purpose of the story was to convey the magnitude of David’s sin (rather than the size of his army) and the depth of God’s grace, I think that the lack of a clear explanation for the difference is interesting but not alarming.
In other comparisons, did you notice that in Samuel, David paid just 50 shekels of silver for the threshing floor but in Chronicles he paid 600 shekels of gold for the site? This one is easier to understand and is found in the wording. In Samuel, David paid for the threshing floor. It was a small area where the offering was made to stop the plague. In Chronicles David paid for the entire site. It was the place where the temple would be built (which included the threshing floor). When you think about each author’s intent, this different focus makes a lot of sense!
And speaking of numbers again, you will notice in 1 Chronicles 23 that they counted the Levites who were 30 years of age or older but then later talk about counting the Levites who are 20 years of age or older. Numbers 4:3, 23 and 30 say that Levites served from 30 to 50 years of age. Number 8:24 says 25 was the starting point. The Rabbis harmonized this by saying that Levites spent 5 years in apprenticeship before they took full responsibilities for their duties at age 30. Being written after the exile, Chronicles now records that Levites begin service at 20 years of age. I wonder, why the change?
Much ink has been used to discuss this one. Ezra and Nehemiah say that the Levites returning from exile were few in number, which might warrant decreasing the age of service (to boost the numbers of those who could serve). Others think that the answer is found in the changed job description for not only does the starting age drop but the retirement age seems to disappear. This tribe of servants was no longer carrying heavy objects across the desert. Serving at a fixed temple changed a lot of things. In the end, though, no one knows why the age dropped.
As we continue our reading journey, I encourage you to do one thing. Rather than focus so much on the numerical details and differences, remember to keep an eye on the bigger story playing out. When you read the story, did you notice David’s trust in the grace of God knowing that His compassion is to be preferred over the fickleness of humans? Did you see God’s amazing grace in sparing the people or ponder the meaning of placing the temple at this particular location? How about David’s conviction that he would not offer to the Lord something that cost him nothing? Did that slow you down and cause you to ponder your own life a bit? Numbers and story-differences are fun to consider but they can easily become a distraction. I am convinced that any “discrepancy” we find does have an explanation and the explanation in no way undermines the authority, truth or accuracy of God’s word.
Enjoying the details with you while keeping the bigger story in mind.
Rob
