Friday, June 8, 2007
Bible Question
So I am reading the Bible the other day and I read in 2 Samuel where it says that God moved upon David to take a census of Israel and Jerusalem, and then David obeyed, and then God punished David for obeying. Why is that? I don't get it! I think I'm going to be wrestling that one for a while, but I'm interested in comments and thoughts from others.
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1 comment:
I Chronicles 21:1 says that it was Satan that tempted him. This is one of those places where Bible critics say the bible is contradictory.
Essentially this is a situation like Pharaoh where God hardens his heart against the Israelites, or where Satan asks for permission to afflict Job. The classic tension between the sovereignty of God and man's personal responsibility.
The reconciliation between 2 Samuel 24:1 and I Chronicles 21:1 is that God was angry at Israel and in his righteous judgment of them He allowed Satan to tempt David and thus bring judgment on Israel.
Not exactly easy to fit into our human sense of justice, but then again God is the definition of justice...
A quick Google search turned up this article. I didn't read it all the way through, so can't vouch for it but what I read is good.
You're opening a great can of worms. The idea that God is in complete control while at the same time our actions (or sin) have very real consequences is a hard one.
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