#51 WHEN NUMBERS BECOME A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD 8-29-26
There is nothing inherently wrong with counting. God Himself commanded Israel to number the people on more than one occasion. A census was not automatically a sin. The problem with David’s numbering of Israel was not the counting. The problem was the heart behind the counting. David had begun looking at the strength of Israel instead of resting in the strength of God. (2 Samuel 24:1; 1 Chronicles 21:1)
1 Chronicles tells us that Satan stood against Israel and moved David to number Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1) 2 Samuel tells us that the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. (2 Samuel 24:1). Whatever the mysterious workings of God’s providence behind the event, David was still responsible for his decision. He wanted to know how many fighting men he had. He wanted to measure his military strength. He wanted to count what was in his hand.
But David had spent his entire life learning that victory does not come from numbers. Victory comes from God.
David knew that lesson better than almost anyone. He had stood before Goliath when the odds were completely against him. He did not defeat Goliath because he had a larger army. He did not have better weapons. He had faith in God. The shepherd boy had learned that one person with God is never outnumbered. Yet now, after becoming king, David was tempted to measure his security by the size of his army.
That is how easily we can drift.
We can begin by thanking God for what He has given us, and eventually begin trusting what He has given us. We can thank God for our resources and then start depending upon our resources. We can thank God for people and then begin trusting people. We can thank God for a ministry and then begin trusting the ministry. We can thank God for a church and then begin trusting the numbers in the church.
There is nothing wrong with numbers. But numbers make a terrible god.
David’s servant Joab apparently recognized that something was wrong and questioned the king’s command. (2 Samuel 24:3) But David insisted. The census was completed, and afterward David’s heart condemned him. He said, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing.” (2 Samuel 24:10)
David finally saw what had happened. He had allowed something good to become something dangerous. The army was not the problem. The number of soldiers was not the problem. The problem was that David had begun to find confidence in what he could count instead of confidence in the God whom he could trust.
David himself had once declared, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7) That is the great lesson of the census. We must never allow the things we can see to replace the God we cannot see.
We count money. We count possessions. We count followers. We count accomplishments. We count attendance. We count opportunities. We count everything that can be measured. But God is reminding us that the most important things cannot always be counted.
Faith cannot be counted on a spreadsheet.
Love cannot be measured with a ruler.
Obedience cannot be reduced to statistics.
And the power of God cannot be determined by the size of our numbers.
David had an army, but he needed God. David had a kingdom, but he needed God. David had wealth, influence, experience, and authority, but he still needed God.
And so do we.
Never let the size of what you possess become the measure of your security. Never let the number of people around you become the measure of your significance. Never let your resources become the foundation of your confidence.
Count your blessings, but trust the Blesser.
Count what God has given you, but never forget the God who gave it.
Count the people, but love the people.
Count the opportunities, but depend upon the Lord.
And when everything that can be counted is stripped away, remember that if you still have God, you still have everything you truly need.
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Father, forgive us when we trust Your gifts more than we trust You. Help us never to measure our strength by our numbers, our resources, our possessions, or our accomplishments. Teach us to remember that our confidence is not in chariots or horses, people or possessions, but in the name of the LORD our God. Give us the heart of David when he was at his best, a heart that knows that apart from You we have nothing and that with You we have everything we need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
