A Foolish Census

A Foolish Census
Words of Faith 4-14-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Samuel 24
[1] Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." [2] So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are." [3] But Joab replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" [4] The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
[5] After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. [6] They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. [7] 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. [8] After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. [9] 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. [10] 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, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."

     These days, it seems that numbers are the name of the game more than ever, but that is nothing new.
     The Lord was angry against Israel. It is not clear why this was the case, but He led David to command that a census be taken. It was a census that would reveal a deeper sin.
     1 Chronicles 21:1 attributes the motivation for this census to "a Satan" or adversary. It was rooted in deadly pride. This is no contradiction, for the Lord had simply allowed Satan to prompt David to an improper course of action so that Israel might be punished and that David might be instructed. This is similar to the time that the Lord permitted Satan to cause trouble for Job and His allowing an evil spirit to torment Saul. It is essential to understand that the Lord Himself did not incite David to do evil, for "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone" (James 1:13).
It is not clear why David desired a census, but the fact that he only had military men counted suggests that he was interested in determining his military strength. This was the core of the sin—he probably did this so he could boast in human might. Even Joab inquired as to why the census was to be undertaken. Even Joab realized that God could multiply their troops as much as necessary, so why did David feel the need to assess his strength?
     But David had his census. After nine months and twenty days of counting, the report was given-- there were 800,000 eligible fighting men in Israel and 500,000 in Judah. After David received the report, he realized his sin of pride and self-sufficiency and confessed this sin to the Lord.
     There is an important truth here. Counting our numbers can lead to dangers, whether financial or human. We can fall into the sins of pride and self-sufficiency if we relax our reverence before the Lord and begin to drift into a sense of independence from Him. We can then attribute the Lord's accomplishments to ourselves.

Father God, keep me from the counting game. Keep me clear of depending on numbers or looking to them for my security. Keep me from the sin of pride. Keep me from the prideful self-sufficiency that erodes my very relationship with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.