In 2 Samuel 24:1, You'll read that the Lord incited David to take a census of Israel. But in 1 Chronicles 21:1, the writer attributed this action to Satan.
How do we reconcile this?
With the book of Job.
If you've read it, you know that Satan comes before God's throne and when God brings up how blameless and upright Job is, Satan makes a wager with God, implying that Job is the way he is because God has given him much. "Stretch out your hand and strike everything he has" Satan says, "and he will surely curse you to your face".
And God gives permission to Satan to do just that.
I imagine that David, a "man after God's heart" even with his failures, has attracted similar attention in the spiritual realm. And probably asked God to test him as he did Job.
The resulting census of Israel could have emboldened David’s pride and given a false sense of power, but he instead swallowed his pride and realized "I have sinned greatly in what I have done" and begged God to take away his guilt.
There were three punishments to choose from, and David chose the one that cast himself and his people on God's mercy instead of falling into the hands of men.
The final result was that David would purchase the land to build an altar and sacrifice for repentance, which would later become the site whereupon the temple would be established.
How do we reconcile this?
With the book of Job.
If you've read it, you know that Satan comes before God's throne and when God brings up how blameless and upright Job is, Satan makes a wager with God, implying that Job is the way he is because God has given him much. "Stretch out your hand and strike everything he has" Satan says, "and he will surely curse you to your face".
And God gives permission to Satan to do just that.
I imagine that David, a "man after God's heart" even with his failures, has attracted similar attention in the spiritual realm. And probably asked God to test him as he did Job.
The resulting census of Israel could have emboldened David’s pride and given a false sense of power, but he instead swallowed his pride and realized "I have sinned greatly in what I have done" and begged God to take away his guilt.
There were three punishments to choose from, and David chose the one that cast himself and his people on God's mercy instead of falling into the hands of men.
The final result was that David would purchase the land to build an altar and sacrifice for repentance, which would later become the site whereupon the temple would be established.
In 2 Samuel 24:1, You'll read that the Lord incited David to take a census of Israel. But in 1 Chronicles 21:1, the writer attributed this action to Satan.
How do we reconcile this?
With the book of Job.
If you've read it, you know that Satan comes before God's throne and when God brings up how blameless and upright Job is, Satan makes a wager with God, implying that Job is the way he is because God has given him much. "Stretch out your hand and strike everything he has" Satan says, "and he will surely curse you to your face".
And God gives permission to Satan to do just that.
I imagine that David, a "man after God's heart" even with his failures, has attracted similar attention in the spiritual realm. And probably asked God to test him as he did Job.
The resulting census of Israel could have emboldened David’s pride and given a false sense of power, but he instead swallowed his pride and realized "I have sinned greatly in what I have done" and begged God to take away his guilt.
There were three punishments to choose from, and David chose the one that cast himself and his people on God's mercy instead of falling into the hands of men.
The final result was that David would purchase the land to build an altar and sacrifice for repentance, which would later become the site whereupon the temple would be established.
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