Why did God punish Israel for David taking a census?

Question

2 Samuel 24:1-25 tells the story of Kind David following Gods will to take a census of the Israelites, then God punishing him for following his command by sending a plague and killing 70,000 Israelites.

Why did God change his mind? and why take it out on the common folk?


Here is a great link that shows the literal story page by page.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/king_david/god_kills_70000_israelites/2s24_01p1ch21_01.html

Answer 1

problem: Fair enough. But why punish an entire people because of one mans crime?

This is tantamount to sending you to jail because of what Lee Harvey Oswald did.

Would you consider that justice?

Your moniker is felicitous...

Answer 2

I think there is this thing with teachings being used to cast a gray area of doubt in peoples minds. If you were to really read the stories, notice that is plural, from the different records, 2 Sam as well as Kings and Chronicles, and then realize that God judges on the Individual, then on Humanity, and then on Nations, He brings the Judgement on the Nation due to the influence of its ruler. Since David was its ruler at the time. it may seem unfair to us but in a larger scale of things God actually brings a whole nation to repentence also. There is more than meets the eye. Some of the people that die may have been those that help to led Israel astry, and therefore had it coming. Some helped in the revolt against David. it may not specifically say this either, but I take the Bible as a whole and thereby there are other reason for what and why God does what He does. All I have to do is find it.

God Bless

Answer 3

If you want to understand the Old Testament, you have to understand their view of history. Things happened, and the authors of Scripture attempted to explain why they happened. A plague killed many people. A couple of hundred years later, people settled on the number 70,000 because "7" represented completion, and 1000 represented " a lot." A couple of hundred years after that, a Jewish scribe with theological tendencies decided to tackle the problem of why the plague occured. His answer was that David must have displeased God by taking a census. He wrote that down in a book, which was added to the historical annals in Jerusalem. A couple of hundred years after that, another Jewish scribe wanted to compile an historical anthology of Judah in order to strengthen the national identity of Jews in captivity at Babylon. He included this story.

Answer 4

2 Samuel 24:1 (NIV) Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."

The Bible writers want to blame Satan for what God is doing!

I Chronicles 21:1 (NIV) Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

As you can see, it is enough to say that God did it! He is in charge! Who do you think that caused all the evil in the life of Job? God Almighty, of course!

Job 42:11 (KJV) Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over ALL THE EVIL that the LORD had brought upon him:

Either that or the Bible writers were all screwed up and didn't keep track of what they were writing!

Answer 5

It turns out that God was a Liberal and only wanted supporters of the Liberal Party to get the lucrative census taking contracts, but David instead tendered them out and was duly chastened by the Liberal party machinery.

(It's a Canadian reference)

Answer 6

{problem} got it right..

One person and God makes a majority.

Answer 7

It showed that David had faith in the strength of his kingdom and not faith in God.