Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
2 Samuel 24:1–9, “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer: Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon, And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.”
Even though David was a man after the Lord’s own heart, he was tempted at times to be proud. The Lord gave David many great things because David trusted the Lord. However, at times David was tempted to think that he was better than all the other people and the Lord brought David back to earth again. David wanted to do a census of the nation so that he would know how large his armies were. However, David knew, in his heart, that it was not the size of the army that David had but the Lord who was able to triumph in every situation. The Lord allowed David to do this census even though his leading advisors suggested to him that he not. We know that the Lord counted Israel when they came out of slavery in Egypt and before they went into the Promised Land. This was legitimate for the Lord chose Levi for service and Israel had to pay restitution because they were greater in number than the section chosen to represent them. The Lord also counted Israel so that the Land could be allocated according to the size of each tribe. In this case there was no reason other than David’s pride. When the nation was counted they discovered that Judah had 500 000 men and Israel had 800 000 men. They counted the men who were of an age to go to war.
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