Right away we must confront the fact that scholars are divided in their opinions as to what the sin actually was. Some scholars freely admit they have no idea at all! We'll talk about some of the more likely opinions and I'll offer one of my own but, in the end, each of us will either have to draw our own conclusions or reconcile ourselves with not being able to come to a conclusion that completely satisfies us.
Earlier in the Bible we found Moses taking a census of the fighting men not only once but twice. Yet it was not a sin for Moses to do so because he did it upon command of the Lord. The first census was taken not long after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt; the second census was taken not long before they began moving into and taking over the promised land. It was necessary to perform a census as part of forming an army, for Israel had never had an army before. It was also necessary to count the Levites, although they were not to serve in the army, because their job was to be centered around the religious activities of the nation and these activities had to be conducted in an orderly, rotating manner by the groups of men assigned to them. Moses didn't come up with the idea on his own of counting the fighting men and that is why it was not sinful for him to conduct either census. But David was not commanded to count the men. This was his own idea and he took it upon himself to have it done without consulting the Lord. There are several possible reasons why he did it but it was not because the people of Israel did not already know how to enlist soldiers and maintain an army. They'd been enlisting men and maintaining an army for approximately three centuries.
My opinion is that perhaps David, in his older years, harbored some insecurities about the safety of Israel. If so, this indicates a lack of faith. It could be that he wanted the men counted in an effort to reassure himself that the nation was capable of warding off any invading army. If that's the case, then we can clearly see why it was a sin, for, "Everything that does not come from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23b) If David was depending on the number of troops to keep the nation secure instead of depending on the Lord, this represents sin.
Bible scholars have suggested other reasons why David's census was sinful. Some believe he did it in order to levy heavier taxes on the people, so much so that the taxes would present a hardship for citizens of average and below-average income. If that's the case then we can see why the Lord would be unhappy with his intentions. Some think he did it in order to expand the kingdom beyond the borders prescribed by the Lord. If he intended to invade and take over territories not promised to Israel by the Lord, this represents a sin, for the Lord allowed only named certain territories to be taken over as His judgment on the idolatrous tribes of Canaan. Ancient kings carried out counts of able-bodied men not only for the purpose of serving in the army but also for numbering how many men were available to work on forced-labor projects, so some scholars think David conducted the census in order to carry out bigger and more ambitious projects in the nation and that he intended to force tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of men into working on these projects. Such a thing would have presented hardships to the men and their families, for many of them would have had to leave their fields and flocks and herds for their wives and children and elderly parents to maintain. Other scholars say it was sinful pride that led to David ordering the census, that he wanted to glory in the number of his vast army and that he wanted to make known far and wide the number of his army so he could take credit for it himself instead of giving the credit to the Lord.
We cannot say with one hundred percent certainty what was going on in David's mind but we can say with one hundred percent certainty that whatever was going on in his mind was wrong. He admits it himself in our text today.
We pick up now with Joab and the other commanders going out to count the men as ordered. "After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand." (2 Samuel 24:5-9)
It took the better part of a year to complete a census that didn't need to be done in the first place. At no time while formulating this plan did David listen to his conscience. At no time during those almost ten months did he realize he needed to call a halt to the proceedings. It's only after the census has been completed that he is troubled by what he's done. "David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg You, take away the guilt of Your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.'" (2 Samuel 24:10)
Moses did right in taking the first and second count of the fighting men. He did it upon the Lord's instructions. Of course the Lord could have told Moses the number of fighting men without the people having to count them but I believe in Moses' day the people needed the encouragement of counting and finding out just how high the numbers were. They had never fought any wars before. They were naturally very apprehensive about going into battle with the nations of Canaan. But that's not true in David's day. By the time David takes his census, the Lord has given Israel victory after victory after victory after victory. The Lord has a proven track record of coming through for Israel and David should have based his confidence in the Lord's ability to fight battles, not in how many fighting men were available to serve in the army.
David realizes his mistake and in tomorrow's text we'll study the disciplinary action he faces as a result of this mistake.
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