Text: 1 Chronicles 21:1-30
At some point David commanded that all his soldiers be counted, but according to Joab’s response in verse 3, the counting was sin. Why was it sin? Apparently David was relying more on his army rather than on God. Let us notice that Satan was the one who tempted David to do this. But in 2 Samuel 24, Yahweh’s anger moved David to count. Is this a contradiction? No! Yahweh, who is Sovereign over all things, used wicked Satan to accomplish His own good plans, just as He did in Job’s life (Job 1, 2). In that (true) story, Yahweh never blames Satan. God takes full responsibility.
In this life, bad things happen even to good people. Some would say that God is weak or He is not loving. But Scripture teaches that God is perfect in power and in love. All things are designed and operated by God for good (Lam.3:38; Acts 2:23; 4:28; Rom.8:28). God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything, He is good, and everything He does is for a good purpose, even though it might seem horrible to us. Trust God for all things. He even put His eternal Son into the hands of wicked men for an eternally good purpose.
Meditate on verse 3. What is God teaching you in this verse?
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, help me to rely on You always, and not on my strength. Amen.