David, who was known as a “man after God’s own heart” ordered that a census be taken of the Israelites. The implication here is that he wanted to know how many fighting men he had available. It seems like a reasonable thing to do to the logical mind. But what the scripture says is that “satan incited David to take a census of Israel.”
So the question becomes: how or why did this happen?
One observation is that “In the Spring, at the time when kings go off to war…David remained in Jerusalem.” So it’s possible that if he had been present with the troops, where he should have been, he would have seen first-hand how many men he had.
Or it could be that his faith in Your ability to continue to give him military victories was waning and he wanted to bolster his confidence by seeing the numbers?
What he should have done when this idea came to him, was hold it up to what he knew of You. And seek Your counsel on whether or not to go ahead with it. Even his commander Joab knew this was a bad thing. His response to David was “Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
So Father, help me to learn from this mistake David made. First, if there is a place I am supposed to be, do not let me make excuses to avoid being there. Help me take my responsibilities seriously and not be swayed by fear, or laziness, or arguments to the contrary. If I am in the center of Your will, I am less vulnerable to the suggestions and oppression of satan.
Next, bolster my faith so it doesn’t fail me. When I hear the whisperings of satan telling me to question myself or Your love and faithfulness to me, let me come against those lies with the truth of scripture. If satan tells me “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t do that?” Let me respond with “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
If he taunts me with “You’re not good enough/smart enough” let me respond with Your truth that “I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do the work which He has prepared in advance for me.” Ephesians 2:10.
If I hear a voice saying ‘”You’ve made so many mistakes, you’re worthless,” I can boldly respond with “I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.” Colossians 3:12
If You place people in my life to speak the truth to me, like Joab did for David, do not allow me to be too stubborn or bull-headed to listen to them.
Mostly, Father, let me be consistent to always lay my plans before you, asking if it is Your will. Then listen to and be obedient to Your response to me. Regardless of how illogical it may seem, or how much sense it may make to others, I desire to follow Your voice: the voice of my Shepherd.
David and his people paid a terrible price for his disobedience. Let me learn from his mistake, and be led by You. Amen
Daily Bible Prayer 