Whose idea was this anyway?
Numbers 1 – The census of Israel’s warriors – was part of my Bible reading this morning during my time of “Coffee with the Lord” … Not the most exciting passage of Scripture to read but one that teaches an important lesson… Here’s just a taste from the chapter with with an added observation from “your’s truly”…
“The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,‘Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
“Moses and Aaron took the men who had been named, and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, as the Lord commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.” (From Numbers 1:1-3, 17-19 ESV)
Hey, It really matters who orders a census! Here it was God’s idea and command. At a later time, it was David’s prideful idea and resulted in God’s judgment and the loss of life (check out 2 Samuel 24). If something is God’s idea and command it must be followed! If it is merely a human idea, generated by arrogance and pride, not only does God frustrate such plans, it results in His judgment.
Coffee With The Lord 