1 Chronicles 21

Now Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. v.1

Read chapter 21

We come across another slight discrepency of the two recordings of the same account.  Here in First Chronicles it says Satan moved David to number Israel.  Yet in the Second Samuel account we read that God moved David to number Israel, “Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” One Bible scholar, E.W. Bullinger, notes, "By Hebrew idiom a person is said to do that which he persists to be done.  Here [2 Samuel 24:1] we have the historical fact.  In 1 Chronicles 21:1 we have the real fact from the Divine standpoint...God's permission but Satan's suggestion."  Another commentary suggests similar, "The apparent contradiction can be resolved by recognizing that though Satan is the author of all evil, he cannot exercise his evil intentions apart from the permission of God.  Moreover, God could use him to accomplish His own purposes of judgment or discipline- as here with David" (NKJV Study Bible footnotes).  David did that which he permitted to be done.  God permitted but Satan suggested.  Still hard to understand sometimes why God allows Satan to deceive and do evil.  Yet God always seems to get the blame for what He allows that Satan actually does. When have you blamed God for something that was of Satan?  Why do you think God gives permission to Satan sometimes?