Exploring David’s Census
David’s troubling census is explored as a question of pride, power, and trust, leading toward God’s mercy at the threshing floor.
Read Time: 10 minutes
This article arose from a series of Sunday School classes and discussions the Wuhan ecclesia held on the period of the kings. As we were getting to the end of the Book of Samuel, I discovered one of my favorite things in Scripture: a question with no precisely discernible answer. I would like to exhort you all this morning on some of the musings and discussions we had in wuhan regarding this question, namely, “What was the nature of David’s sin in taking the census in 2 Samuel 24?” Thus, our goals in this article (and one that follows) will be:
- To offer a hypothesis about why David sinfully took the census and provide some evidence for it.
- To appreciate how masterfully God deals with this particular kind of wrongdoing on David’s behalf.
- To examine how the story of the threshing floor altar can bring us a new appreciation of what we are doing when we take the bread and wine in commemoration of Christ.
Before we discuss my own thoughts as to the nature of David’s sin, we’ll review some theories that others have proposed as to why David did what he did, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
Some suggest it was pride and a sense of accomplishment that moved David to number the people; that he was concerned with his legacy. They theorize that the people of Israel, too, had risen in national pride and patriotism, but not God-ward. Some scholars even suggest that the census numbers reported seem high for the population of that day and age, and that they were over-reported out of pride.
Others suggest the census itself was not a moral issue, as Solomon later takes a census of Israel’s foreign workers without moral repercussions in 2 Chronicles 2:17-18. God himself commanded Moses to take a census of the people in Numbers 1. The sinful aspect was not the census, but that David ordered it without a good reason or a mandate from God. Some even suggest that, in numbering the people, David was claiming Israel for his own and putting himself in a position of Godly authority.
Still others have proposed that the census is inherently worldly in the way rulers typically use it. The census provided information tyrants could use to amass power and plot political schemes. It informed how many men should be drafted into the military. It showed how much tax money and tribute should be acquired and from where. In recent history, a certain US President has tried to add immigration status to the national census. I’m not going to debate if it’s right or wrong from the platform, but I would suggest it as another piece of evidence that rulers take a census not just because they want to be accurate in their bookkeeping. There are many not-so-hidden agendas.
David was not a perfect man, but I would like us to consider some evidence from his personal and moral history to cast doubt on some of these theories. In considering David’s history, it would be atypical of his character to take credit or glory that belongs to God. Think of when he gives God credit for his military abilities and victories in the Psalms and Samuel (2 Samuel 22:35). “He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” And in Psalm 18:34, the exact same words. Think of the times when he speaks of his enemies surrounding him and praises the Almighty for delivering him. Think of when he calls God, “My shield,” “my strong tower,” “my rock,” or “my salvation.” This is the David who said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” (1 Samuel 18:18 NKJV) and also to God, “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18 NKJV).
Secondly, it would be atypical of David’s character to make decisions out of haste or impulse. He is frequently found, before making a military decision, inquiring of God what he should choose. In 1 Samuel 30, when the Amalekites had raided his camp while he was away and kidnapped his wives and the wives and children of his men, and when even his own men spoke of stoning him, he calmly asks God, “Shall I pursue?” (1 Samuel 30:8).
Finally, David never claims the people, kingdom, or kingship for his own when he could have, even after God had anointed him and he knew the kingship had been taken from Saul. How many times could he have killed Saul and taken the kingship through force and military skill? Remember the encounters in the caves while Saul was chasing him around the countryside. His men, his trusted mighty men, told him to kill Saul, but he refused out of reverence for God. In 1 Samuel 24:4, the men said, “Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.” And David’s heart smites him just for cutting off part of Saul’s clothing, and in verse 6 replies, “And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.”
No, I don’t think pride, hastiness, or usurping God’s authority were what motivated David to order the counting of soldiers in 2 Samuel 24.
I would suggest that David’s sin was connected to his strength, his service to God, even in being a man of war. I’m not saying the census was a sin of warmongering. David was not a warmonger, but I think it was a sin that stemmed from the difficulty of moving into a different stage of his life. I believe David had trouble letting go of his lifelong task of manifesting God in being the protector of Israel. I believe it was hard for his warrior’s mind to transition into a time of peace. I believe he needed God’s help in becoming a more perfect manifestation than he had been before.
Let us consider David’s long career as a protector and reflect on how this may have affected him psychologically. He started young. Remember, he was a shepherd, defending the flock in his early years. There was the famous defeat of Goliath and the ensuing battle with the Philistines in 1 Samuel 17. There was another battle against the Philistines in 1 Samuel 19 and another in 1 Samuel 23. In 1 Samuel 27, David fights against the Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites, this time on behalf of the Philistines, and in the same chapter, he fights against the Jerahmeelites and Kenites. In 1 Samuel 30, David defeats the Amalekites that had raided their camp and taken their children and wives hostage. In 2 Samuel 3, there is war between the house of Saul and the House of David. All of this before David becomes king at age 30 in 2 Samuel 5. In 2 Samuel 5, he fights against the Jebusites in Jerusalem. In 2 Samuel 5, there is another battle against the Philistines. In 2 Samuel 8, this time David fights the Philistines, Moabites, Zobahites, and Syrians and establishes garrisons in Edom. In 2 Samuel 10, he does battle with the Ammonites and Syrians. In 2 Samuel 18, there is a civil war against the troops of his own son, Absalom. In 2 Samuel 20, though a large battle was avoided, David has to deal with the rebellion of Sheba, son of Bichri, yet another civil dispute. And in 2 Samuel 21, there are more battles with the Philistines at Gob and Gath.
The battles are numerous, constant, and fairly evenly spread throughout his life. What would this do to your psyche if a significant portion of your life was either at war or preparing for war? Wouldn’t it be hard to let go of the warrior’s mentality? To look out at a field, forest, or mountain and, instead of appreciating the beauty of God’s creation, begin analyzing points of cover, or advantageous aspects of the terrain? To look at a map and, instead of seeing neighbors or trade partners, see enemies on all fronts? Instead of sliding into a comfortable bed without a care in the world, you’re thinking about setting the right number of watches in the right positions and making sure you have an exit plan just in case?
You might be thinking, “But, sheer quantity of battle is not enough to cause psychological symptoms. After all, look at Joab. He had been through many battles, and he still gives godly advice in this situation. However, David suffered far more in his life than the average soldier or commander. Consider the following psychological and emotional circumstances of his life events.
Approximately a few weeks to a few months after David triumphs over Goliath, while David is playing music for Saul to calm his mood, Saul tries to murder him out of jealousy, with a javelin. David had no doubt seen javelins used in the battle against the Philistines. They don’t always result in a quick, clean death. Such an experience sounds traumatic and unpredictable. It sounds like something that would put you on your guard, paranoid, always watching. And it happened not once, but twice in David’s life.
Or what about Saul requiring David, for the dowry of Michal, his daughter, 100 Philistine foreskins, though actually David gave Saul 200? Was this a normal request? Butchering 200 corpses in the early stages of rot on a bloody battlefield. Who here has ever dissected an animal in a biology class? A frog? A cat? Ever seen someone become sick to their stomach as a result? Even when they’re nicely preserved in chloroform or something and the stench of decay has been somewhat mitigated? Was this something that leaves no mark on a person’s mind?
How about in 1 Samuel 22, when under Saul’s command, Doeg the Edomite kills Ahimelech the priest, as well as the rest of the priests and their families: women, children, and infants, all for feeding David the shewbread when he was hungry. Do you think it weighed on David’s conscience? He says so in 1 Samuel 22:22 to Abiathar, “I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.” This story is particularly poignant because it also records David’s reaction, and I believe his coping mechanism for these kinds of wartime atrocities. In verse 23, “Abide thou with me,” he tells Abiathar, the escaped messenger, “Fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” With me, thou shalt be in safeguard. I will be your protector. It is a noble duty, a king’s duty, and I believe one in which he manifests God. The desire to protect the faithful is no doubt how God saw him as being a man after His own heart.
Consider all the extreme stresses David experienced over the course of his life.
What of being constantly on the run, being hunted by his own father-in-law? How about being betrayed by people whom he helped, the people of Keilah, Nabal, and the Ziphites? How about sleeping in caves and on rocks? Do you think he slept well? Do you know what sleep deprivation does to you? Extreme stress, depression, an inability to control your emotions, paranoia, and even hallucinations. Have you ever noticed how David had to have his parents evacuate Israel and live in Moab for fear of Saul harming them? Wouldn’t he have been in a constant state of worry over that precarious arrangement? Or how about having to go to the King of Gath and dwelling in the land of the Philistines? Gath, as in Goliath of Gath. He may have had to dwell among people whose relatives were killed by him and his men. Did he have to be on his guard there, always looking over his shoulder and watching his back as well as those of his men? How about having to evacuate Jerusalem because his own son was arranging a coup, and then having to send his own men to suppress this coup by killing his son.
After all that, what do you think this did to David’s mind? He was likely sometimes haunted by images of battle and death, instead of having peaceful, dreamless sleep (see Psalm 6:6-7). Imagine what it would be like to see a shadow flicker behind you and have your hand fly to your side for a sword. Or to hear a loud noise and have your body go into fight or flight mode when it just meant someone dropped something.
When I worked as a waiter at a Chinese food restaurant in my hometown, I once served two Marines. Putting it mildly, they were mountains. They barely fit in the booths made for four average-sized people, given all their muscles. Their necks looked to be the same width as my thigh. And about halfway through their dinner, a different waiter dropped a tray with some serving platters on it when he was clearing off a table. Some people turned and looked, but I saw one of the Marines jump up and grip the side of the table, knuckles bulging, breathing heavily, sweating. It took more than a little while for his friend to calm him down. “Shell Shock,” “Battle Fatigue.” The condition known as “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” did not exist in name in David’s time, but I use this story to illustrate two points: 1. Muscles are no defense against the horrors of war, and 2. It is no easy task for a soldier to leave the battlefield behind him (or her). Though we should be grateful for our status as conscientious objectors to war, let us never lack empathy for people like David who have fought in them.
In addition to David’s long military career and traumatic experiences, consider the life stage David was in. Based on other records in the Books of Samuel and Chronicles, Biblical scholars place David’s age anywhere from 67 to 70 at the time of 2 Samuel 24. Though an exact age is difficult to assign, it is reasonable to believe David is getting on towards the end of his life. Chapter 24 is located at the end of the Book of Samuel, and in the very next chapter, 1 Kings 1, we read, “Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.” David knew he was aging and had been feeling the strength of his youth slowly leave him for years. I don’t think he feared death, which is one of the benefits of being a warrior, perhaps, but would he not have been wary of leaving Israel without his protection? What about the promises he had made to people like Mephibosheth? To Bathsheba and Solomon? To the whole of the country? I think that in counting the soldiers who would still be living after he died, it was an expression of his wanting to ensure the safety and protection of Israel beyond his death. It was misguided not to think of God in this moment, even sinful, as the Biblical record states, but do we not do the same? With life insurance policies, wills, and other documents that will ensure our children will be a little more comfortable financially after we’re gone? I don’t want to start an “Is insurance a lack of trust in God?” debate. I just want to put us into the mind of an older king concerned for his people and wanting to make sure they’re looked after, and encourage us to consider how we can apply this story today.
Finally, note when David realizes his sin. It is not when Joab reminds him at the beginning of the chapter, which is very uncharacteristic of David. Why does he dismiss such sound advice? It is not until he learns of the number, after nine months and twenty days. Only then does his heart smite him and he says, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.” Why only once when he learns the number? Why is that the trigger for his realizing his wrongdoing? I would suggest this number is substantial, that it was surprisingly large, and that it gave David worldly military confidence. And as soon as he realized he was putting his confidence in numbers rather than in God, his heart smote him, for he recognized that the thinking of the flesh had invaded his mind. It was an ironic realization. What’s the point of having the largest army in the area, when it cannot help defend against the thinking of the flesh?
We’ve discussed some potential evidence suggesting the nature and motivation of David’s sin. More important than why he did it, however, is how God reacts and how he provides for David’s atonement. That’s what we will consider in our next article, Lord willing.
Brandon Entwistle,
Wuhan Ecclesia, China