But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. – 1 Chronicles 21:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 27, 2025): 1 Chronicles 21

The Nabateans rose as a distinct group inhabiting Northern Arabia and the Southern Levant during the 4^th to 2^nd centuries B.C.E. These remarkable people were responsible for the incredible structures built into the rock at Petra. They loosely controlled trade in the area, which provided them with both wealth and influence. Their capital city, which they called Raqmu, but we call Petra, probably had 20,000 inhabitants at the peak of the civilization. Their name is thought to arise from the Akkadian language word nabatu, which means "to shine brightly." And shine brightly they did, until they didn't.

Six to eight centuries after the Nabateans rose, they were gone. Not only did they disappear, but they have been forgotten by most of us, even though they left behind the incredible rock-cut architecture at Petra. The civilization was there, and then it wasn't. Maybe they left the area after an earthquake that occurred in the mid-fourth century C.E., or perhaps they were just absorbed into the Roman Empire. However it happened, the Nabateans disappeared, never to be seen again.

David commands Joab to go and count the people of Israel. Essentially, the real ask seems to be that David wanted to know how many men were available if it became necessary for the nation to go into battle. Joab understood the ask, but he also understood that God had not asked David to conduct a census. So, Joab protested. He didn't want to conduct the census which he strongly believed would get Israel in trouble with God.

However, David insisted, and Joab counted. But he also used his own judgment. According to Chronicles, Joab refused to count two of the tribes: Levi and Benjamin. We don't know why Joab refused to count these two tribes, but we can make some educated guesses.

The easiest to excuse is Levi. Levi was a tribe that God had set apart. They were a tribe that had never been counted when it came to raising a military, and they were not officially part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Levi had been omitted from Israel's tribal structure from the very beginning; the descendants of Joseph had been divided into two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, to take the place of Levi among the Tribes of Israel.

The question of why Joab would refuse to count the Tribe of Benjamin is a little more challenging to discern. But the best guess is that the Tribe had gone through a lot over the past few generations. The Tribe had almost been eliminated in the wake of the sin at Gibeah (Judges 19), and Joab probably wondered if God were to get angry at Benjamin, would there be anyone from Benjamin left in Israel? As a result, Joab attempted to save the kingdom, even when his Uncle David didn't seem to care. Joab was able to discern what was going on to make sure that the weak were protected from the mistakes or careless judgments of the strong, even when the strong was the King.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 22