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(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
1 Chronicles 21:1–6, “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.”
Even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he was troubled by human failings, from time to time. David was overcome with pride as the king of Israel and he wanted to see how great he was. He decided to conduct a census of Israel so that he could know how many people were under his leadership. Joab advised against such a step of pride but David’s will prevailed and the census was taken. They discovered that Israel had 1,100,000 fighting men and Judah had 470,000 fighting men. Joab knew that this was wrong so he didn’t count some of the people, thus eliminating some of David’s opportunity to boast.
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