1 chronicles
There is one thing you do not let God catch you doing; and that is taking a census. David enumerated his people and it displeased God so much that he killed 70,000 of those same people. God took a little parental fun in having David choose his own punishment. Cutting off a willow switch was not one of the punishments offered by God...
21:5
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.
21:6
But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
21:7
And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
21:8
And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
21:9
And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,
21:10
Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. (no doubt about who is boss here!)
21:11
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
21:12
Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. (Gad delivers God's message faithfully, word for word. When God gets like this, he is almost endearing. There is a certain cuteness is his mischief. God is showing his sense of fair play. David can choose any punishment he likes best provided only that it is one of the three that God offers him. Quick**which cup is the pea under?)
21:13
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. (the next verse demonstrates how God's mercies exceed that of the hand of man...)
21:14
So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
A hard lesson to learn, but a necessary one. Try to count your people, and God will immediately mess up the count on you. The more times you count...the farther off your total will be. Simple mathematics. |
