SUMMARY
A terrible plague, seen as God’s judgment upon DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More for taking a census of the people, is averted after David, following the advice of a prophet, acquires some land in Jerusalem, builds an altar, and sacrifices to the Lord.
ANALYSIS
The books of SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel More come to a close with this perplexing story of David’s census, which, chronologically speaking, must have taken place earlier. Two points help to alleviate some of the strangeness of this text as a conclusion to Samuel:
First, the concentric arrangement of the last four chapters of 2 Samuel isolates them as a unit comprised of somewhat random texts collected together as an appendix of sorts. In this appendix, chapter 24 is paired with chapter 21, another narrative of national disaster, framing two lists of David’s warriors and two poetic pieces attributed to David. This means that the chapters are somewhat intrusive with regard to the narrative:
A Narrative of national disaster (2 Samuel 21:1-14)
B List of David’s warriors (2 Samuel 21:15-22)
C Poem: David’s song of thanksgiving (2 Samuel 22)
C′ Poem: David’s last words (2 Samuel 23:1-7)
B′ List of David’s warriors (2 Samuel 23:8-39)
A′ Narrative of national disaster (2 Samuel 24)
Second, it must always be remembered that the story does not end with 2 Samuel 24. The section of the narrative continues through 2 Kings, and since the plot of land purchased by David becomes the site of the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More (1 Chronicles 22:1), the acquisition of the temple site is appropriately placed before the story of SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple More, who will build the temple (1 Kings 1-11).
The text falls into three units: David’s census (framed by “Israel and Judah” in vv. 1, 9); David’s confession (framed by “I have sinned” in vv. 10, 17); and David’s altar (framed by “an altar to the LORD” in vv. 18, 25). Nagging questions remain: “Why did God incite David to sin?” “Why was God so upset by the census–a census God had commanded?” (see 1 Chronicles 21:1, where “Satan” [literally, an adversary] incited David). No satisfactory answers have been suggested, and we must look for the message of this text elsewhere. The story should be taken as a paradigm for reading all the David stories. David is a sinner, even a great sinner when one considers his adultery and murder. Nevertheless, he is also a person of great faith who recognizes his sin, the need for repentance, and that all his accomplishments have their origin in the graceGrace is the unmerited gift of God's love and acceptance. In Martin Luther's favorite expression from the Apostle Paul, we are saved by grace through faith, which means that God showers grace upon us even though we do not deserve it. More and mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More of God.
