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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
What is wrong with David taking stock?	raymond	Thursday, February 6, 2014
Question: Dear Bro I was intrigued by yesterday's first reading. Why was God angry with David counting his people? What's wrong with taking stock? What's wrong with planning ahead or being proactive? I hear the argument made that David's action implied a lack of trust in God. But aren't we supposed to "do our best and leave the rest to God"? How does doing our best imply lack of trust? When is "doing our best" doing too much? There's also a saying that goes something like this, "God will not do for you what you can do for yourself". But we also hear about "total abandonment to Divine providence". So where do we draw the line? How do we discern when we're doing just enough and when we're encroaching into God's zone? Chao Asuquo
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Raymond: Note to everyone: Please cite the Scriptures you are asking about so I do not have to spend time looking them up thanks. There is a misunderstanding here about what is happening here. David taking this census was a grievous sin. To quote from the Navarre Bible commentary, David's great sin in taking the census was "so enormous a sin but the idea behind it is imputed to be a supernatural being (1 Chronicles 21:1 calls him "Satan") and its consequences are such that only God can prevent or alleviate them." The commentary continues with an explanation of why the census David performed was sin: [It was thought in those days that] To know the number of members that make up the people (v 2) was equivalent to lording it over them and taking advantage of them, sometimes by way of taxes, sometimes by conscripting them into the army or making them slaves to do hard labor for the king. The people of Israel belong only to the Lord, and are subject only to him. When the Law permitted a census, each of those counted had to pay a ransom similar to what was paid when a first-born was redeemed (cf. indicating that in some way they were passing from the Lord's domain into that of the king). David's census was illegal, as-it-were, and thus David sinned, which angered God. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

What is wrong with David taking stock?

raymond

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Question:

Dear Bro

I was intrigued by yesterday's first reading. Why was God angry with David counting his people? What's wrong with taking stock? What's wrong with planning ahead or being proactive?

I hear the argument made that David's action implied a lack of trust in God. But aren't we supposed to "do our best and leave the rest to God"? How does doing our best imply lack of trust? When is "doing our best" doing too much?

There's also a saying that goes something like this, "God will not do for you what you can do for yourself". But we also hear about "total abandonment to Divine providence".

So where do we draw the line? How do we discern when we're doing just enough and when we're encroaching into God's zone?

Chao
Asuquo

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Raymond:

Note to everyone: Please cite the Scriptures you are asking about so I do not have to spend time looking them up thanks.

There is a misunderstanding here about what is happening here. David taking this census was a grievous sin. To quote from the Navarre Bible commentary, David's great sin in taking the census was "so enormous a sin but the idea behind it is imputed to be a supernatural being (1 Chronicles 21:1 calls him "Satan") and its consequences are such that only God can prevent or alleviate them."

The commentary continues with an explanation of why the census David performed was sin:

[It was thought in those days that] To know the number of members that make up the people (v 2) was equivalent to lording it over them and taking advantage of them, sometimes by way of taxes, sometimes by conscripting them into the army or making them slaves to do hard labor for the king. The people of Israel belong only to the Lord, and are subject only to him. When the Law permitted a census, each of those counted had to pay a ransom similar to what was paid when a first-born was redeemed (cf. indicating that in some way they were passing from the Lord's domain into that of the king).

David's census was illegal, as-it-were, and thus David sinned, which angered God.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum