Census

[proper_villain]

I am curious, Why was it a sin for King David to order a census to be talken?

[Brad Carignan]

We've been talking about this and Pastor Swann has some insights on this. I'll forward it to him.

[Brad Carignan]

Here's what Pastor Swann said:

David erred in his decision to count the men of Israel. His motives may have been in preparation for the building of “Solomon’s Temple” as Moses had been directed by God to do when charging the “desert church” to give a half shekel for the temple from those men over 20 years of age (Exodus 30:11).

The Lord was very specific to Israel’s leaders to not count the people…even when Moses was charged by God to make a census, Jewish history records that they counted the money collected vs. the people to determine the number of men over 20! Israel’s significance does not lie in its numerical strength but in the elemental striving for holiness which is essential to their nature and survival.

It was a sin of distrust in God. David had to guard his confidence shifting from the Lord’s ability to the size of his standing army! God wanted them to have a unique status as an uncounted people…only measured by the stars of heaven and sand on a seashore.