Numbering Israel

July 9

I Chronicles 20-22

Psalm 78:65-72

Proverbs 17:16-17

Romans 6

Numbering Israel

“Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel.  So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, ‘Go count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their total count.’…And this thing was displeasing in the sight of God, so He struck Israel.”  I Chronicles 21:1-2, 7 LSB

David had experienced a lot of military success conquering many of his enemies including most recently the Philistines.  We are not told why David wanted to conduct a census, but knowing that it displeased God, it may have been a source of pride or self-reliance.  Often taking a census was done before drafting soldiers. Perhaps David wanted to see how many men he had available to him in case he was attacked.  Or maybe he wanted to know the size of his empire.  Whatever David’s motive, it did not please God.  God had been the source of his power and strength for several decades.  God had protected him from his enemies and had given him success in many battles.  David did not need to take a census to see how much power he had.  The number of men in Israel was of no consequence.  David had seen that God could defeat his enemies without any help from the mighty men in Israel.  Sometimes God chose to use them and sometimes God acted on his behalf without human assistance.  From the beginning, David’s kingdom relied on the power of God.  The human kingdoms that surrounded Israel relied on military power and human might, but the kingdom God gave David had divine origins and God did not want David to forget it.  Joab immediately recognized that this was a bad idea and he tried to convince David not to do it, but David was determined. 

When the census was completed, God acted decisively.  David immediately repented and asked for forgiveness.  God gave him three choices for punishment:  three years of famine, three months of being swept away by his enemies, or 3 days of God striking Israel with a plague.  David decided that he would rather face the wrath of God because he knew that God was compassionate so God sent a plague against Israel that killed 70,000 men.  David had to experience the pain of knowing his sin caused the death of many innocent people.  It is hard to understand fully what God was doing in this situation, but it is important to recognize that God wanted David to understand that he had nothing to do with his success.  God, and God alone, was the source of his success and he didn’t need to forget it.  Power and position have a way of going to our heads.  David was not immune to thinking more highly of himself and his own abilities than he should.  Sometimes God has to bring us down a few notches to remind us that it is only by His grace and mercy that we are able to accomplish anything.  May we humble ourselves so that it won’t be necessary for God to humble us.