March 31, 2010 - The Purpose Of Census

Meditation on 2 Samuel 24

This is the year and time for census in the United States. It is conducted for the benefits of the people.

But in 1 Chronicles 21:3, it stated that Satan was the one that tempted David to number the people in Israel. Probably David's command to have the census was to calculate the military power he had to protect his kingdom and himself from being toppled. Or may be it was just his own pride to shown his military strength instead of trusting in God's protection like he did when he was a teenager against the giant. We did not find any statistics of each of the tribe in Israel except the figure of the fighting men consisted of two camps, the soldiers of Israel and Judah. This also seemed to be an assessment by David to count on his own flesh to protect him in case there would be a civil war again. Indeed, this was the prelude of what to come in the future when the kingdom split during Rehoboam, David's grandson.

When David finally realized his own guilt, he confessed his sin of conducting this census with the wrong motive. But the nation stilled suffered God's judgment of a severe plague. When a leader did wrong, usually the followers suffered. Fortunately, King David begged for God's mercy and sacrificed a burnt offering as well as a peace offering to the Lord at the place appointed by God. This was the same place where Solomon would build the temple of God. And the plague stopped.

May the leaders of our country do not sin against God. Also may we do not sin against God's laws.