But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” (II Samuel 24:10 ESV)
Numbers and Love
This episode in David’s life has always intrigued me. Why was God angry at David for being a good steward? Why was it wrong for David, the Commander-in-Chief of the Israelite army to attempt to be prepared? Why shouldn’t David know the strength of his army?
But today I think I understand it.
It is not simply that David counted the army. But David was counting the army because he was trusting the numbers more than he trusted God. David’s counting displayed that he was insecure about the status of Israel. God had made some clear promises to David about the security of Israel, and the future of David’s line. (I Chronicles 17:2-14)
But David wanted to make sure.
We do this when we relax because our checkbook has balanced positively, instead of noticing that beyond the numbers, God moved his cattle in the best way. (Psalm 50:10) We do this when we have confidence in our IQ instead of God’s knowledge (Proverbs 2:6) We do this when we accept data from outside of God’s Word when it seems to contradict God’s Word. (Psalm 19:1)
Perhaps we love numbers, at times, more than we love God.
But we can rise above that. Trust, in fact, HIS numbers. His Word is filled with them.
Take the love God grants us.