"Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel." -1 Chronicles 21:1
In the Old Testament, David instructed Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census. This may not ordinarily have been a noteworthy event, except for the fact that David suffered enormous consequences by taking this census. God gave David a choice of three punishments: three years of famine throughout, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of severe plague. (2 Sam 24:12) (Ouch!)
Whether or not it was Satan or God who influenced David (the scriptures say it was both), David sinned by counting the people. In Moses' time, God gave instructions that if a census were to be taken, an offering had to be collected.
In the Old Testament, David instructed Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census. This may not ordinarily have been a noteworthy event, except for the fact that David suffered enormous consequences by taking this census. God gave David a choice of three punishments: three years of famine throughout, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of severe plague. (2 Sam 24:12) (Ouch!)
Whether or not it was Satan or God who influenced David (the scriptures say it was both), David sinned by counting the people. In Moses' time, God gave instructions that if a census were to be taken, an offering had to be collected.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Whenever you take a census of the
people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself
to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.
Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred
offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel, based on the
sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)'" -Exodus 30:11-13
But it was David's and the people's disobedience that caused the plague. He was trusting in numbers instead of in God.
It's great to have a budget, a schedule, or a way to organize or count what we're doing. But when these types of details supersede our faith and trust in God, they can overshadow our very purpose in life, causing us to trust in our resources, instead of in Him.
Do you place your trust in God, even in the small things? God knows what we need. Allow Him to take any area you may struggle in and give it all to Him. He knows the answer to everything we need.
But it was David's and the people's disobedience that caused the plague. He was trusting in numbers instead of in God.
It's great to have a budget, a schedule, or a way to organize or count what we're doing. But when these types of details supersede our faith and trust in God, they can overshadow our very purpose in life, causing us to trust in our resources, instead of in Him.
Do you place your trust in God, even in the small things? God knows what we need. Allow Him to take any area you may struggle in and give it all to Him. He knows the answer to everything we need.
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