The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 580

the people generally. It ie too often the man numbered, ie not merely gwtuitoue, oaee that 11 n11tion uees the bravery whioh but ie disproved by Joab's remonstmnce; hBB obt11incd for it freedom from foreign for he objecte to the censue absolutely. oppression, to impose the yoke of el11very From what, too, we know of Joe.b's character, upon others. But thie chastisement brought we cannot suppose that he would be pa.r- be.ck D11vid and his eubjecte to more up- tioufarly shocked e.t this bP,ing e. census right couneele. In 1 Chron. xxi. 1 the of the fighting men. Yet these Jere.elites temptntion is 11soribed to Satan, becii.uee were very noble men in their love of free- David foll. God tempts, th11t is, tries. men dom and their respect for their national con- thnt they may efond more firmly and ad- stitution ; and if J oab observed in David a v11nce in all th11t is true 11nd goocl. S11tan growing disposition towards despotism, and tempts men that he may find out their foreea.w danger to the nation'• liberty from weo.kneeees and effect their ruin. Yet the king's lust of foreign con'luest, he was David foll only to rise again. Se.tan's too upright a. statesman not to oppose a triumph we.e but tempore.ry, and the result measure which would strengthen the king we.s good for king e.nd people, who would in his dongerons tendencies. His words in h11ve sufferedfe.r more terribly from theeffecte I Chron. xxi. 3, "Are they not all my lord's of their lust of war the.n from the pestilence. servants?" eeem to have this meaning. Temptation, then, he.e two sides, e.nd is good David wae the master of e.11 these fighting or evil according to the uee we me.ke of it; men. If their vast number was paraded but in itself it is e. necessity for our probe.- before his imagination, it might lead him, tion. The trials e.nd sorrows of life serve flushed with po.at successes, into aggressive but to break up the fallow gro_und (Jer. iv. war; and victory abroad would lead to the 8); and without them our hearts would desLruction of freedom e.t home. The sin remain hard e.e the roadway; e.nd the good plainly lay in the violation of the principles see,;], which me.y spring up to eternal life, of the theocratic government, which fos- would lie unheeded upon the surface, and tered personal independence in every mem- find no entrance into their depths. (On the ber of the notion, and were opposed to word " Satan," nevertheless, see note on every we.r except one of self-defence; and eh. ' xix. 22. The Revised Version in 1 it we.s the fact that e. n11tion so governed Chron. xxi. 1 pnts in the margin, "or, was weak and almost powerless even to in adversary." But in such matter& our protect itself, that had me.de the people conete.nt .adversary is the devil.) As re- clamour for a king. And now the opposite gards the exact time to which this pesti-. dangers were developing them.selves, and le_uce may be referred, we cannot draw the Israelites, dazzled by the glamour of any certain conclusion from its place_ in victory, were. joining with their king in "' 1, Chron. xxi., because it seems to he.ve longing after extended empire. The pesti- been inserted there in conneotion with the lence stopped them for the present in their 11m~ngements for the building of the temple, ambitious course; the disruption of the which we.a erected upon, the site purchosed kingdom nnder Rehoboam dispelled their from Arounah. Ae Joe.b, however, could dream for ever. In 1 Chron. x::nii. 23 we be spared for nine months and twenty de.ys also find the thought that the taking of e. for the mnking of this census, it ie ploin that census, though several times practised by it took plnce in e. timo of profound peace. Moeee (1£:x.od. xx.xviii. 26; Numb. i. 2; Probably, therefore, its position in 1 Chro- x.xvi. 2), we.a in itself presumptuous, because nioles is right, namely, e.t some time after the it seemed to contradict the promise in Gen. termination of David's gree.t we.re. About xv. 5, that the seed of Abraham should be twelve years elapsed between the capture past numbering. Re moved. It is impos- of Rabbah and the rebellion of Abse.lom, sible to tranel11te, "and one moved," under- and if during this period the respect of the standing thereby Se.tan, as stated in Chro- people for David we.e first damaged by the nicles. It we.a Israel which had incurred the revelation of his adultery with Be.tl:shebe., Divine anger by its lust of w11r, and Jehovah and the murder of her husband, and then used David, who we.a himself the victim of rudely shaken by the repeated manifesta- the same evil passions, to take a step whioh tion of the displeasure of the Most High, led on to the just chastisement. Number; it is not so surprising, perhaps, that his hold Hebrew, count. It is e. different word from upon his subjects was so smo.11 as to make thut translated "number" in the rest of the them reody to fo.vour the designs of his chapter. ambitious son. But wherein lay the sin? Ver. 2.-For the king so.id; Hebrew, and Not 'only we.a e. census lawful, but it WBS the king said. Do.vid's command was not t.he actue.lly commanded (Exod. xxx. 12, sqq.); co.use of Jehove.h's anger, but the result of and the idco. of the Jewish commentntors, his having himself give!l way to ambition: thut the sin consisted in neglecting to pe.y uncl, I\S he yielded to the temptation, it so tbe b11lf-shekel there eµjoined upou e11ob for become 1W act of Sat11n, iu that it led to 596 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [OH, XXIV, 1-28,