1 Chronicles 21:7-13 God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.” Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’” So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the Lord has given you. You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the Lord brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.” “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
When leaders sin, their people often pay the price. See David. He insisted on taking a census of the people, even though his man Joab pointed out the sin in that action. David insisted, the census was taken and I was not happy. David’s sin was egregious. And the people suffered because of it. Your leaders have sinned egregiously. They continue to do so daily. And your nation is suffering because of it. But, as was true for David’s people, you will not suffer forever. There will be an end to the punishment. But first, there must be an end to the constant sinning. Your leaders must be held accountable. There must be repentance for not only the sins themselves, but for my children allowing it all to happen. When will my children arise and take back their nation, their world? When will you recognize you have all the power you need to overcome this evil? When will you stop being afraid, stop being concerned with how you appear, stop being overpowered, stop being intimidated? When will you begin to look only to me, to what I say is right, to what my Word says? Stop looking around, look up, look within and allow me to work through you to vanquish the darkness. You have created this mess – either through direct action or through inaction. You have allowed your Nation, your world, to reach this point. When will you take steps to stop it and return this land to me? When will you stop grieving and act? Stop reacting and take real action? Could I just fix everything in less than a second? Yes. But I will not. This is your world. These are your decisions. These are your messes to begin to clean up. I will help you, but I will not fix it for you. That would cheapen everything. I know my children. What is too easily achieved, what is too cheaply obtained – those are the things that are not valued. Liberty. Freedom. Integrity. Wholeness. Purity. Godliness. Right actions. Those are valuable. Earn them.
Amanuensis 