Everyone remembers the story of young King David’s tragic failure with Bathsheba: giant killer grows fat and arrogant and stumbles headlong into adultery and murder. But do you know David’s second great failure, his “second-worst sin” the one committed by old King David?
The census.
Old King David told Joab to use his troops to take a census of all the men in Israel of fighting age. But Joab knew David was not supposed to take a census and tried to talk him out of it.
There is something greedy about David’s motivation, similar to the impulse moderns feel when we count our money, relish in our resume, or perhaps take an IQ test.
Taking a census was taking control. The king without a census goes to war relying on God. The king with a census goes to war relying on himself and his numbers.
The previously unknown tally came out to about 1.5 million fighting men, 1 Chronicles 21:5. As soon as David received the count he knew he had sinned greatly. David repented and begged God for forgiveness, and God gave him three choices:
“Choose either three years’ famine, or three months to be destroyed by thy foes while the sword of thy enemy overtakes thee, or for three days the sword of the Lord, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all Israel” 1 Chronicles 21:11-12.
As king, which would you choose for your people: three years of famine, three months of losing battles, or three days of a pandemic?
Wisely, the now-humble king decided to punt: “let me now fall into the hand of the Lord, for great are his mercies” 1 Chronicles 21:13. David asks the Lord to choose for him. Which did God choose? Three days of pestilence.
There is wisdom in this. Men were going to die. That was understood. But three days of horror are better than three months of horror or three years of horror.
When I was in college a psychology professor said something wise about punishment:
“Punishment should be swift, severe, and soon-over.”
First Chronicles 21 indicates God may agree. A swift punishment that is soon over is merciful. Punishments that linger hang over our lives like a cloud of shame. Punishment that is swift and soon over restores the child. It restores dignity. It restores the relationship. The nation of Israel lost thousands of men during those three days, but then the healing began. The restoration began.
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