1 And again the anger [ Af] of Yahweh was kindled against Israel [Yisroel], and He moved David [ incited Dovid] against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah [Yisroel and Yehudah].

'Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.'

James's words amount to the assertion that in the ordinary course God influences no man in an evil direction; that good and not evil is the object of all He does. There is no contradiction between this and the fact illustrated in the quotation from 2 Sam. 24:1, that when men are obnoxious to Him. He works against them in a sense opposite to "delivering them from evil."

"The hearts of all men are in His hands, and (as occasion serves) He turneth them whithersoever he will."

In special cases, He puts things into the hearts of men for the development of special situations. In the case recorded, David was drawn into a course which brought judgment upon Israel, whose condition was such as to have kindled the Divine anger against them.

‭The Christadelphian, ‬ Sept 1871

10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Yahweh, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Yahweh, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

David's sin in numbering Israel lay in its being an attempt to estimate the military strength of the nation, as something to rely upon in case of war. This was displeasing to God. It was doing what other nations did, whose trust was only in chariots and horses (Ps. 20:7); whereas Israel was invited to trust in God alone, who could save either by many or few (1 Sam. 14:7; 17:47).

The Christadelphian, Mar 1888

13 So Gad came to David [Dovid], and told him, and said unto him, Shall 7 years [shalosh] of famine [ra'av ] come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee 3 months [shloshah chodashim] before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be 3 days' pestilence [shloshet yamim dever] in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

The Three Years' Famine

What is called "three years' famine," 2 Sam. 24:12, and "seven years' famine" in 1 Chron. 21:12, is reconciled by the Septuagint (or Greek version of the O. T.), which reads "three" in both cases. That three is the correct number, is suggested by the uniformity of description "three years," "three months," "three days."

The only conclusion that can be come to is, that something has happened to the text in the case where it reads "seven." Seven, and three, might more easily be taken the one for the other in Hebrew than in English; the initial and terminating syllables being exactly alike, save an extra little dot in the case of the "three." Both words begin with sh and end with oh.

The Christadelphian, Mar 1888

15 So Yahweh sent a pestilence [dever ] upon Israel from the morning [Yisroel from the boker] even to the time appointed [es mo'ed]: and there died of the people [HaAm] from Dan even to Beersheba 70 000 men [Beer Sheva shiv'im elef ish].

While in the largest sense,‭ ‬the Bible teaches that all things are of God‭ (‬in the sense that he made and sustains heaven and earth‭)‬,‭ ‬it is also true that it recognises the arena of established creation as a platform on which there are things He does not do,‭ ‬and things that He does,‭ ‬by what might be called a supplementary volition.‭

Examples of the former:‭—"‬They shall surely gather together,‭ ‬but‭ ‬not by Me‭" (‬Isa.‭ liv. ‬15.‭) "‬Time and chance happeneth unto all‭" (‬Ecc.‭ ix. ‬11‭)‬.‭ "‬I have not sent them‭" (‬Jer.‭ xxiii. ‬21‭)‬.‭ "‬The Lord is not with them‭" (‬2‭ ‬Chron.‭ xxv. ‬7‭)‬.‭

Example‭' ‬of the latter:‭—"‬This is the finger of God‭' (‬Ex.‭ viii. ‬19‭)‬.‭ "‬This thing is of me‭" (‬1‭ ‬Kings‭ xii. ‬24‭)‬.‭ "‬There is wrath gone out from the Lord:‭ ‬the plague is begun‭" (‬Num.‭ xvi. ‬46‭)‬.‭ "‬The Lord of Hosts hath purposed:‭ ‬who shall disannul it‭" (‬Is.‭ xiv. ‬27‭)‬.‭

When therefore the Bible says,‭ "‬The Lord sent a pestilence‭" (‬2‭ ‬Sam.‭ xxiv. ‬15‭)‬,‭ ‬it means that a pestilence was sent that would not have come in the order of nature if He had not sent it.‭ ‬It does not mean that a pestilence sprung up from natural causes...‭ ‬The affair was the subject of communication between God and David:

‭ "‬Thus saith the Lord,‭ ‬I offer thee three things:‭ ‬choose thee one of them that I may do it unto thee.‭"

Pestilence was one of the three,‭ ‬and David chose this:‭ ‬and‭ "‬the Lord sent‭" ‬what David chose.‭ ‬When the writer said‭ "‬the Lord sent it,‭" ‬he meant it.

The Christadelphian, Jan 1887. p27-29