Read: 1 Chronicles 21:1-17; 2 Corinthians 12:10
Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. (1 Chron. 21:1)
During many job transitions in my life, I had initial confidence that I could do well in a new position. But this was followed by a spiral of fear about being inadequate. A wise pastor once said to me, “This is to help you rely on God.”
When we turn to today’s Bible reading in 1 Chronicles 21, King David takes a census that brings divine judgment on the entire nation of Israel. The census is not the cause of this divine judgment; in other places in the Old Testament a census is taken without divine displeasure (Num. 1:2). However, in this case, it seems like the problem may have been David’s attitude. He had been a victorious king at war expanding the borders of Israel. The taking of a census is an indication that David was relying on his own strength and the numerical advantages of Israel rather than trusting and relying on God.
We are not wrong to make assessments of our financial future, our health, or our spiritual attitude. The problem is when the assessment leads us to rely on our own strength and fail to trust God in both our strength and weakness. A key meaning of the cross is that when Jesus was the weakest, this was the very power and strength of God. As the apostle Paul wrote to the early Christian congregation at Corinth, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
As you pray, assess your weaknesses and strengths and lay them at the foot of the cross of Jesus.
About the Author
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland Michigan.
