Monday, March 11, 2019
Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.” But Joab replied, “May the Lord increase the number of his people a hundred times over! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?” But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab traveled throughout all Israel to count the people. Then he returned to Jerusalem and reported the number of people to David. There were 1,100,000 warriors in all Israel who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah. But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do. God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.” Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’” So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the Lord has given you. You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the Lord brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.” “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result. And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground. And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O Lord my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.” 1 Chronicles 21:1-17(NLT)
One would
ask: What is so bad about a census? We take one in America every 10 years. A census is necessary for many reasons in a democratic
republic, where you must know how many citizens live in an area, so you can
have appropriate representation in government.
Shifts in government services are made according to aging, agriculture,
education, and military capability.
In the
case of King David’s desire for a census it was pride. David wanted to know just how many men he could
figure would make up an army for another conquest. The number was also helpful for determining
his tax base!
David’s
general (and friend) Joab, tried to dissuade the king from provoking the people
and God as well, but David was hard-headed at this point in his life, and
pushed to have his way. This attitude
angered God and put David between the rock and a hard place.
God sent
the prophet Gad to David with choices that David must make. When David finally realized it was a mistake
to push God this way it was too late for just changing his mind and ways; there
was the judgment of God to be reckoned, and punishment options were on the
table.
As the
hammer was about to fall David cried out a confession to God, that it was he
who had been arrogant and prideful; the nation was innocent. David asked God to bring the punishment on
him, not Israel. God stopped short of
destroying the Holy City of Jerusalem, but 70,000 funerals would be a reminder
for all time that God’s place between the rock and hard place is not a place for
trifling.
For You Today
David had
messed-up, but he chose to stand-up; this should be what Lent brings to us. May we all have someone like Gad to keep our
eyes open!
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