1 Chron. 21:3-133And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? 4Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. 6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab. 7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. 8And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 9And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, 10Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 11So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee 12Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. 13And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. (1 Chronicles 21:3‑13).
IT IS striking to notice here that Joab saw the pride of David in numbering the people, and tried to persuade him not to do so. This shows us that God sometimes uses unbelievers, or perhaps fleshly Christians, to point out our mistakes, and we ought to receive the correction, even though it is humbling. It does not always require spirituality to see the old nature acting in another, but it does require spirituality to know how to meet these failures in a way that is for God's glory, and the blessing of the erring one. Joab was utterly unable to do this. He could see David's pride in numbering the people, but he did not point out to him that the Lord had said they were to give the ransom money when they were numbered, so that there would not be any plague a:Jong them (Exodus 30: 11-16). This would have been to maintain the Lord's glory, for the people of Israel were His, and not David's. Moreover if Joab had mentioned the redemption money, who can tell that it might have touched a chord in David's heart and brought him to see his mistake. I believe all this has a lesson for us, for it is often easier to be "a ruler and a judge" than "a ruler and a deliverer" among the Lord's people, and we need to be walking close to the Lord to be the latter. (See Acts 7:27,3527But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? (Acts 7:27)
35This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. (Acts 7:35).) But there was a bad state of soul with David, and with the people too, and the Lord was about to deal in His government with them. Satan too was acting as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12: 10) , a thing he likes to do when we are away from the Lord in our souls. How important it is that we watch against the first signs of departure, for the enemy knows just when to bring his attacks.
Joab did as David said, and numbered the people (though in an incomplete manner), bringing the total to David. But the Lord was displeased with all this, and He now brought David to see his sin. How often we are self-willed in a course, and continue in it in spite of all warnings, only to realize Afterward our mistakes. Perhaps it is because we will not take correction from someone we do not like, as David would net take correction from Joab, but this is only our pride, which we ought to judge. The fact that Joab did not point out the matter to David in the right way, did not make it right for David to go ahead in his self-willed course. He ought to have taken the correction from the Lord.
However, it is beautiful to see David humbling himself before the Lord when he realized what he had done, and owning his sin in such a real way. He said, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech Thee, do away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly." Here is true repentance, but in spite of all this, the government of God must fall. Even though we own our failures as believers, there is a reaping of what we have sown, which we cannot escape. David had to experience this in the ways of God.
The Lord therefore sent His prophet to David to tell him that He must deal with him, and to give David the choice of three things; three years of famine, three months to be destroyed before his enemies, or three days under the sword of the Lord in the land. David answered so beautifully: "Let me fall into the hand of the Lord; for very great are His mercies; but let me not fall into the hands of man." This was truly an answer of faith!
Messages of the Love of God 2/2/1958