Why was a census an evil act?

[BlackAndy]

In 1 Chronicles 21, God punishes the Israelites because David is persuaded by Satan to number the people. The punishment was harsh and 70,000 men died.

What was so evil / Satanic about a census? ​

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

It wasn't the census per se, as census taking wasn't sinful - see Numbers 1:2-3 and 26:2-4. It was the motivation behind the census.

David admitted his guilt in ordering the military census (1 Chron 21:8). What David was guilty of was seeking security in the military might of Israel rather than depending on God for his security.

LDG

 

[jsimms615]

most of the time the census was done to determine how many people there were in the kingdom to tax. For David, it was a sign of a lack of faith because God had already abundantly provided for all his needs. He didn't need to find out how many people there were. Because it was ultimately a sign of a lack of trust in God it was a sin in God's sight.