Sovereignty Part 13 Modus Operandi

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Example #9 – David Numbers the People

“And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and HE moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah: (2Sa 24:1).

In Exo 30:12-16, God had instructed Moses never to number the people without collecting a “ransom for his soul”: “When thou takest the sum of the children after their number then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; THAT THERE BE NO PLAGUE AMONG THEM WHEN THOU NUMBEREST THEM” (Exo 30:12).

This census of Israel was for one reason only: “And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation…”

Apparently Joab and his captains were aware of this warning: “And Joab said unto the king, now the Lord thy God add unto the people how many so ever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing” (2Sa 24:2)?

The story goes on. Though Joab finds this a repugnant assignment which he and his captains try to talk David out of doing, David is insistent. The people are numbered and as a result seventy thousand are slain in one day by “a pestilence” (2Sa 24:15).

Notice who we are told “moved” David against them to say, go number Israel and Judah.” “…the Lord…HE moved David.” Now my KJV Bible margin tells me the ‘he’ in this verse is Satan. They refer us to 1Ch 21:1 to prove their point: “And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number the people.”

Those bible scholars were so uncomfortable with the idea of God using Satan as an instrument to fulfill His preordained plan and purpose, that they were willing to violate the rules of grammar rather than admit to doctrinal error. “…the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and HE [ not Satan] moved David…” The subject of this sentence is “the Lord” not Satan. The pronoun ‘he’ refers back to the subject, the Lord.

Now, let us go on over to 1 h 21 and see if here at last we can say we have a scripture which does not show God to be responsible for evil: “and Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel” (1Ch 21:1).

Is there anything in this verse which tells us that Satan was doing something contrary to the sovereign will of God? Is there anything here which would contradict Paul’s numerous assertions that “all is of God”? Does this contradict Paul’s statement” “…according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will”? (Eph 1:11).

Let us see if the writer of I Chron. 21 thought this was all really Satan’s idea: “And God was displeased with this thing, therefore He smote Israel” (1Ch 21:7).

Why, if God is more powerful than Satan, and we all agree He is, why does He hold Israel accountable for what Satan tempted David to do? Why is Satan never punished for all the misery for which he is supposedly responsible.

The answer is that “the crooked serpent” is simply “an evil spirit from God” doing what he is commissioned to do. He can do no more, and he can do no less than what he is sent to do by the only sovereign power of the universe: “God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem…” (Jdg 9:23); “an evil spirit from the Lord troubled” [ king Saul] (1Sa 16:14). “The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof…” (Isa 19:14). When the Lord mingles a perverse spirit, man’s presumed freedom of choice doesn’t deter “Him who worketh all thing after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11).

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