2 Sam 24:2, 9-17 / Mark 6:1-6
Whenever we talk about quantity, we are talking about numbers.
Numbers are important in every aspect of life, e.g. age, weight, dimensions, price.
All these are expressed in numbers that will give us an idea of what kind of quantity it has.
In the 1st reading, we hear of king David ordering a census to be taken of the people.
But after getting the numbers, he realised that he had committed a grave sin and that he had been very foolish and he begged God for forgiveness and accepted whatever punishment from God.
We may wonder what is the sin that king David committed. After all, a census is deemed necessary for a country to know what is its population.
But in doing a census, king David crossed the line between what belongs to God and what belongs to him.
The people of Israel belonged to God, and in doing the census, king David was saying that the people belonged to him.
But king David realised his sin and his foolishness and he begged for forgiveness and accepted punishment.
From this, we can learn from king David, that even though he was king, he doesn't own everything. He also realised that he doesn't own anything.
To know that we belong to God and that He will watch over us and provide for our needs is more than consoling enough. That is what we need to know and that is what we need to believe in.