Taking a Census

Published on Arguing, Complaining, God the Father, God's Will, Sin

To take a census is to count the people. Moses, king David, and king Jehoash all took censuses, with greatly varying results.

 

 

MOSES

 

Moses was expected to take a census of the people:

Exodus 30:12. When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.

The LORD God directed Moses to take this census. It was God’s will. It was the right thing to do.

Many years later, the old generation of complainers and arguers had died off. There was a whole new generation of people. They need to be counted.

Moses did another census:

Numbers 26:2. Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.”

 

KING DAVID

 

In later centuries, king David took a census of Israel. However, David’s census was greatly offensive to the LORD God.

1 Chronicles 21:1. Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.

Let’s analyze that verse:

The Hebrew word for “Satan” is שָׂטָ֖ן (“śā·ṭān”). It means adversary, accuser. It is also the proper name of the chief of demons.

In this verse, Satan stood up. He arises.

Satan stood up against Israel.

Satan opposes Israel by inspiring its leader to do a terrible thing. He moved David to take a census.

# # #

Afterwards, the LORD God was meting out punishment for the census.

At first, David allowed other people suffer and die for his own sin. But David eventually took responsibility for his own actions:

2 Samuel 24:17. David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father’s house.”

David said: “let your hand be against me.”

 

KING JEHOASH

 

That instruction for Moses about the census (see above) included a provision that each person must pay a ransom for his soul.

Later, king Jehoash used that provision as a way to raise money to repair the temple building:

2 Kings 12:4. Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the LORD’s house, in current money, the money of the people for whom each man is evaluated, and all the money that it comes into any man’s heart to bring into the LORD’s house,

The king rebuilt the temple, paying for it with money brought by the people.

 

BIBLE VERSES

Exodus 30:12. When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.

Numbers 1:2. Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, every male, one by one,

Numbers 26:2. Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.”

1 Chronicles 21:1. Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.

2 Samuel 24:17. David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father’s house.”

2 Kings 12:4. Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the LORD’s house, in current money, the money of the people for whom each man is evaluated, and all the money that it comes into any man’s heart to bring into the LORD’s house,

 

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.