A Census (Exodus 30/2 Samuel 24): Every life belongs to God

     In 2 Samuel 24, we see the story of how David took a census of the people of Israel.  Joab (or Yo'av), the commander of his army tried to warn him against it, but David's orders as king outranked Yo'av's advice and the census was carried out.

 Yo’av said to the king, “May Adonai your God add to the people a hundredfold, no matter how many there are; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king take pleasure in doing this?”

     In reading that story, I thought of some reasons on why it was such a sin for David to do this census.  But the main reason that I knew of was this: it seems to me that David was counting his people for either bragging rights or to make military plans.  He was basing his ability to win on the number of soldiers in his army.

     But when has God ever relied on the number of soldiers to achieve a victory?  Read through the entire Old Testament (Tanakh) and you will see countless victories -- none of which showed God to be dependent on numbers.

     When God is on your side, and you start achieving awesome things, you yourself are in awe of what God can accomplish through you.  Then, as this continues, you get better at it, yourself.  You've learned a thing or two about the battle.  You're starting to develop strategies for winning.  People start revering you for your skills and accomplishments.  People tell you that not many others could have achieved what you did.  You get smart.  You start planning your next victory, thinking you are wise and you know how to do this now.  And then you face utter defeat.  What happened?  The only reason you were winning in the first place is because God was doing it.  The task is so much bigger than you could handle on your own.  You HAVE to rely on Him.  And, if you're relying on Him, why would you count your soldiers?

     I remember reading a story about a group of men who were smuggling God's Word into countries where it was forbidden.  The main character in the story had been doing this for a while.  He had gotten good at outsmarting the system.  One day, he was making a run with a new guy.  And they were pulling up to a checkpost in their car.  The experienced smuggler recognized the style of checkpost and knew that there was no way to get the Word by them.  This post was far too thorough.  He murmured under his breath to his new companion that only God could get them by this checkpost.  The new guy turned around in his seat and rummaged in the back of the car until he found the copies of God's Word.  Then he pulled them out and flopped them in plain sight.  The experienced smuggler was horrified, feeling like the new guy was ruining their one chance of getting through. But the new guy just shrugged and said something to the effect of  "If it's God who is hiding them, then He can do it just as well either way.  We're completely dependent on Him."  And you know what?  They made it through the checkpoint without being stopped.

     So I think David was trying to rely on his own numbers instead of staying humble before God.

     But today I found another verse to go with this.  It is in Exodus 30:11-16.  There are instructions for a census.  It says,

Adonai said to Moshe,  “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census.  Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs).  Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai —  the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives.  You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”

     I find it interesting that the penalty for doing a census incorrectly is a breakout of a plague.  And that is interesting because that is exactly what happened in 2 Samuel 24.  Hmmm...connected?

     When you take a census, each citizen pays a ransom for his life to God.  It's not a tax for the king -- it goes to the service of the Tabernacle.  But it circles back to what I said about David's error.  Your life doesn't belong to you.  It doesn't belong to the king.  It belongs to God.  No matter how many or how few soldiers there are, they all belong to God.  All of them.

     And each of their value is the same.  Whether you are 20 years old or 30 years old or 100 years old, the ransom is the same amount.  Whether you are rich or poor -- it does not matter.  Every life matters and every  life belongs to God.

     I wonder if things would have turned out differently for David if he had remembered that.