I Chronicles 21:1-7 [1] Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. [2] So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.” [3] And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” [4] Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. [5] Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. [6] But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. [7] And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.
Oh how easy it is to fall for Satan's deceptions. The devils cannot force us to sin against God, but they can tempt us and cause our flesh to rise up against God's commands. 1 Corinthians 10:13 it is very clear that with every temptation God gives us a way of escape. However, it is up to us to take it. In this instance, God gave David a way to avoid sinning against Him, through Joab's counsel. Nonetheless, David chose to follow his own arrogance and pride. Instead of choosing to remember that it was God who gave him the many victories he experienced, he chose to count the size of his armies and find assurance in the strength of those numbers. There is a valuable lesson in what God recorded for us here, because David's sin was not in what he did. The census itself was not sinful, for God called for a census to be taken in Numbers 1 and 2. David's sin was in the motivation of his heart. The census he commanded did not originate with God, but came from the pride that was deep within his heart. We must always be careful to examine the motives of our hearts when we do the things we do. In the Gospels, Judas rebuked Mary for what she did for Jesus, in washing His feet with expensive perfume. He used the excuse that it could have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Yet, we are told that his true motivation came from the fact that he held the money bag, and was a thief. We may be able to mask our intentions and motivations from others, but God sees straight to the motivation of our hearts, and He always knows why we do what we do; even when we do not initially see it ourselves. The next time we choose to do something for someone else, or "for the Lord", let us stop and and ask the Lord to show us the true motivation of our hearts. We may find that the action itself may not be sinful, but the heart with which we do it may be what crosses the line and causes us to sin against God.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).
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