Staying Connected

Once again, the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.

2nd Samuel 24:1

Although, David was asked to go and count the people of Israel and Judah, he did not spend time with the Lord because the verse says God was angry.  He acted quickly and immediately by telling Joab and the commanders to go and take a census. Even Joab, the commander asked David the question: “But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”  But David insisted.  Could this have been a test for David obedience? It took almost a year to complete this task! We can all at some point in our lives recall feeling uncomfortable about something.

In this situation David’s conscience began to bother him and he soon admitted he had sinned by doing this foolish thing! It wasn’t necessary to take the census in the first place. It is interesting to note here that in 1 Kings 3:8 Solomon, David’s son while asking God for wisdom said that: “And here, I am in the midst of your chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted". When David realized he had sinned he asked God for forgiveness.

Consequently, David was given three choices by the Lord.  He chose the plague which lasted three days and seventy thousand people died as a result.  David was then advised by the prophet to go and offer a sacrifice to the Lord using Araunah’s threshing floor. But David said, “I will not present offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing. So, he paid for the threshing floor. The Lord answered David’s prayer and stopped the plague. When we trust in our own ability we set up for failure. A census was not necessary.

This is a reminder for us to stay connected to the Lord in our daily battles. It is so vital to fight in  God’s strength as Zephaniah 4:6 says “………, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies". Reminder to walk in humility, act out of trust and give God the credit.

Dear Lord, please give me the grace to listen and hear your voice when you speak to me. Amen

Reflect:

What would be the outcome if going to God was our regular first response regarding the daily issues we face?

Meditate on: Provers 3:3-5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”