The Numbers Game
“Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:1 ESV)
In this passage, Satan stands against Israel by inciting David to take a census. The word ‘incite’ (Heb: cuwth) means to seduce or deceive. David had come into recent military victories and decides to number his armies and assess his military strength for past successes and future victories. This displeases God, and as a result, a plague comes upon Israel killing 70,000 people.
Later, this same spirit causes David to remain in Israel when he should be out fighting with his men (2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1, 2). One fateful night, while strolling on the rooftop of his palace, David sees a woman bathing in her chamber. He takes this woman to be his wife and sends her husband into the worst place of battle to die, resulting in the greatest tragedy of David’s life.
Many leaders think the greatest attack against their ministries, teams, or organizations is when he takes things away from us or hurls things at us. Actually, it’s neither one of those. Satan’s greatest attack against us is to deceive us into thinking that our numbers (i.e. knowledge, experience, resources, influence, etc.) are the reason for our past victories or our future successes.
Satan also deceives us into believing that our lack of experience, wisdom, or connections is what is holding us back. We assess our resources and feel completely inadequate to face the challenges before us. Discouraged and despondent, we ask God for more of what we feel we need. Yet, God withholds giving us more, because He wants to do more with our LESS.
Gideon was such a leader who felt he needed more. Gideon recruits 30,000 foot-soldiers to fight the battle against the Midianites. Yet, God reduces his “army” to a mere 300 men. God even prohibits them from using any weapons. He simply instructs Gideon to stand, shout to the lord, and break clay pitchers. As a result, God Himself routs 300,000 warriors into utter defeat.
It’s when we are obediently broken that God does the greatest miracles. It’s not in our numbers. Psalms 20:7 declares, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” John the Baptist said, “I must decrease that He might increase.” (John 3:30). It’s when we are reduced to meager means that God can do truly amazing things.
We must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of self-sufficiency. This causes us either to be prideful in our own machinery or depressed by our lack of substance. We must learn not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). It is God alone who places us in leadership, and it is God alone who will lead us into success (1 Thessalonians 5:24). It’s all in the trusting.
Leader: stop relying on your numbers. Rely on God. Learn to trust Him even when you feel you don’t have enough. JESUS is enough. He’s all you need. What God starts; He finishes. What He initiates; He orchestrates (Philippians 1:6). God can do anything with our nothing. Jesus upset the money tables in the temple. He will upset anything we count on other than Him.
Leader: Don’t be deceived into playing the numbers game and fall into the trap of self-reliance: falling on your own experience, wisdom, or connections. Trust God. He got you here, and He’ll get you there. When you’re down to bare minimum and your numbers just don’t add up, remember 2 Kings 6:16, “Those who are with us are greater than those who are against us.”
