Why take a census?

Taking a census is a huge job for any country. The last one done was in 2010 and I believe they spent more money on ads telling us what would happen if every household didn’t send back the information they wanted, there would be people showing up at your front doors to collect the information.

I think we all have an idea of what a census is, but the why is what I wasn’t even sure of so I looked it up. I thought it would be easier to put a link below for some information I found to explain why a census is taken instead of me trying to explain it all.

 Click here: WHY THEY TAKE A CENSUS

Even back in ancient times there were census taken and it seems it was used for the same purposes as they are today. As society grows the reasons for the census obviously changes. Can you imagine having to do that kind of work without the modern postal service or computers? There were tremendous amounts of people back when they started recording all that information. I wonder how many people it took to sit and handwrite all of that down. Even if it were just numbers and no names, that is still a lot of writing.

So when you think about is taking a census is one more thing that is being repeated throughout history. The United States is not the first country ever to do a census, this country hadn’t been formed yet, so we followed what other countries did. Read on below and you can see where it started.

United States Census History

Exodus 30:11-14 (NIV)

11. Then the Lord said to Moses,

12. “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.

13. Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord.
14. All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord.

Numbers 1:1-4 (NKJV)

1. Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:

2. “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually,

3. from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

4. And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house.

Numbers 1:46 (NKJV)

46. all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

Numbers 26:1-4 (NKJV)

1. And it came to pass, after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:

2. “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.”

3. So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying:

4. “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”

Numbers 26:51 (NKJV)

51. These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

I Chronicles 27:23-24 (NKJV)

23. But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because the Lord had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.

24. Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.

2 Chronicles 2:17 (NKJV)

17. Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

Luke 2:2-3 (NKJV)

2. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

3. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Acts 5:37 (NKJV)

37. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.