2 Samuel 24:3, 10, 17 And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto thy people, how many so ever they be, a hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?…I have sinned greatly in that I have done….Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly.
In his later years David was established as king of a large and influential earthly kingdom. Now he ordered a census be taken of the number of people in Israel and Judah. The Lord moved him to do this because He was angry with them. Interestingly, 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, “Satan provoked David to number Israel.” It seems God allowed Satan to tempt David. The punishment for the census was three days of pestilence during which many died. David repented, but the damage was done.
What was wrong with taking a census? In Moses’ day God commanded a census. The sin was pride and arrogance. He was beginning to trust in man rather than in God. His motive was taking pride in the strength of his army. There is a thin line between feeling confident because you are relying on God’s power and being proud because you have been used by God. Trusting and relying on God and thanking and praising Him for His great salvation is the hallmark of our way of life. It’s what we do.