70,000

In my college years, the local Korean church I attended held a special seminar. It was called the “Vision Seminar,” in which three men of profession came to hold a simple Q&A session. It was a bit boring to be honest since none of the speakers were talking about anything really related to what I wanted to do back then. The reason I still remember to even talk about it now, however, is because of what one of the speakers had said that day. He quoted 2 Samuel 24, in which David is punished for enrolling the fighting men of Israel by taking a census.

So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 

So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, 

“Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 

When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” 

2 Samuel 24:13-17

After having explained this bit to us, he went on to say that most of us Christians think themselves as King David, but some of you here, no, most of you here are the seventy thousand of the people that died. To this day, I have no idea how all of this related to “vision,” but that statement left a mark in my heart. I may not be important enough to be written by name in the Bible. I had trouble swallowing that concept. I wanted to be more to God. I wanted to be important in life. This could have been more fuel for my empty passion. I certainly remember working hard to follow any and all activities held by the church. I probably had no idea what I was doing anyways.

Several years later, I had an opportunity to ask about this little “story.” I guess I had known the answer all along, but just like many, I failed to realize it until recently. The seventy thousand that died were no more nor no less than King David was in God’s sight (at least that is what I was told :P). My inherent desire to be more was deeply rooted in my idea that worldly blessings were signs of God’s love. I wanted to be significant, thus applying God’s blessing as an ultimate goal. This blessing, however, stretched further than just wealth and power. It was even instilled in my desire for “closeness” to God. My seeming relationship with God itself became an idol.

I could be stretching it, overreacting a bit, but my mind cleared up a lot. Standards are abundant in our world, but whose standards are we following anyways? God’s love as love itself is the best and the only goal we have and need. The greatest part is that it has been given freely already! No more struggling to prove an importance. My only struggle should be to be more like Jesus for love itself, nothing attached. What’s there to be jealous of others when we are all the same under God’s eyes?

Be free, as truth truly does set us free.