Among David’s downfalls was the time he tried to measure himself by how many people followed him. It’s a temptation familiar to many.

3 min read

Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1

We live in a numbers-driven world. It’s all about how many of this and how many of that you have. We falsely measure ourselves by digits.

Social media has taken this game to another level. The race to gain followers has pushed us into territory previously unknown.

But the human quest for big numbers isn’t new. The ancients played the game, too.

Take King David, for example. David had so much going for him, yet in his mind it wasn’t enough. He was God’s anointed leader of the land. He had an incredible resume that included: slaying a giant when he was a lad, leading elite forces in victorious warfare, writing poetry and making music, and building a thriving kingdom.

Yet, when it came down to it, David still looked for validation in numbers. Even with all his fame and success, David wanted to know how many followers he had.

Against the counsel of his second-in-command, Joab, David ordered a census of everyone in Israel from top to bottom and side to side. He wanted a comprehensive head-counting.

And just as Joab had warned would happen, God was not pleased with David’s decision and some heavy consequences followed.

What was the problem? The problem was that David’s desire to know how many people were in his kingdom was motivated by pride and pride is sin. Pride is when man insists on exalting himself instead of exalting God. Pride gets things upside down and backwards.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

The good thing is that David came around and realized how wrong-headed he had been. He said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive me for doing this foolish thing” (1 Chronicles 21:8). While David’s confession did not eliminate all the consequences, it definitely helped matters. Calling our sinful behaviour what it is is never easy, but it is step number one in bouncing back from an indiscretion.

Who’s counting?

The truth is, you don’t have to play the number’s game. You don’t need to look for validation in how many of this or how many of that you have. The value of your life could never be measured by numbers or digits. It would never really be enough anyway.

Let it be enough that God, the Creator of the Universe, loves you and wants a relationship with you. He knows everything there is to know about you – the good, the bad, and the ugly – but still hasn’t changed his mind. He wants to be the One who answers your hardest questions, meets your deepest needs, and fulfills your greatest desires.

The true measure of your personal worth and signficance, as it turns out, is not a number. Your real worth goes back to a Cross. That’s when it was settled once and for all that you are loved, that your life is valid, and you were worth the high price of redemption.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.