Trust God for Resources Whenever and Wherever Needed

Through 1 Chronicles chapters 11 to 20 David and his warriors win many military victories. Each time God goes with them and gives them the victory they need. There is never any question of resources - whatever the odds, God sees them through. Note also how on the whole such campaigns are defensive, with the fights largely provoked by the neighbouring enemy kings.

Yet in chapter 21 David does a foolish thing, and commands a count be taken to assess the size of his army. What is David doing? Maybe he now wants to switch to a more offensive mode, and checks his resources for the task? One way or the other he shows a lack of trust in God for ongoing provision. Rather than experiencing God's provision month on month where and when he needs it, he now prefers to do his own resource management.

From this episode you get the 3 days of plague, but God has mercy bring a halt at the threshing floor of Araunah (v15). This becomes the location of the altar and eventually the temple to which the whole of Israel will be drawn to worship and meet with God (22:1).

So the meeting place with God has its roots in David's lack of trust in God's provision - his sin. Wonderful though the temple became, and extraordinary as a focal point for meeting God, the fact is its location was born out of a man of God who failed to appreciate that God could be trusted for the right resources whenever and wherever they would be needed.

From that point on people might travel miles to try and meet with God, forgetting that out in the heat of battle God can be there to meet the needs that present themselves.