Real Sacrifices are Costly
9th September 2008
This story comes from 2 Samuel 24. In verses 1-9, we read that David had sinned against the Lord by counting the fighting men available to him. I'm not sure why this was a sin, although many commentators suggest various reasons. The point is: it was a sin. We read on:
Verse 10
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned
greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very
foolish thing."
Here we see the heart of the man of God. David wasn't perfect. Just like you and me, he sinned sometimes. And this was by no means the first time. But when David realised that he had sinned, he was conscience-stricken. He was truly grieved by what he had done. He confessed his sin to the Lord and begged Him for forgiveness.
As Christians, we can fall in to the trap of not taking our sins very seriously. Paul quoted some people who had made this error in Romans 6v15:
Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?
Because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, some imagine that it doesn't matter very much if we carry on sinning; after all, we'll be forgiven again, won't we? But it's impossible to genuinely love God and at the same time be indifferent to our own sin! As Jesus said on John 14v15:
"If you love me, you will obey what I command".
God saw that David's repentance was real, and answered his prayer:
Verses 11-12
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer:
"Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to
carry out against you.'"
God, in His mercy, sent His answer to David through the prophet Gad. And Gad obeyed God. It takes courage to prophesy to a king:
Verse 13
So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon 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."
It's true that God forgives our sin as a free gift. But it's also true that God sometimes requires us to do something about our sin. And, although our sin is forgiven, we are sometimes required to suffer punishment as discipline (see Hebrews 12v7-11).
Verse 14
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 the hands of men."
Wisely, David responded by saying that it's better to be chastised by God than abused by men. God is always merciful to His people, but sometimes men are not.
But God's mercy doesn't mean we don't need chastisement.
Verse 15
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.
And it wasn't only David who suffered; it was everybody whom he was responsible for. Pray for husbands, fathers, elders, kings, politicians and employers. When those in authority sin, we all suffer.
Verse 16
When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity 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.
God doesn't enjoy disciplining His people; He does it for our good, not for His pleasure. And in His mercy, he disciplines us less than we deserve.
Verse 17
When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who has sinned
and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family."
David took responsibility, as those in authority should. And as we all should. David asked God to punish him alone. This was a brave decision but it was the right thing to do.
Verse 18
On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing-floor of
Araunah the Jebusite."
God had mercy on David. God decided to allow David to offer a sacrifice - a demonstration of worship and submission - for his sin. David gladly accepted God's decision. He knew what he deserved - the wages of sin is death. And he knew he was getting off lightly:
Verse 19
So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad.
Verses 20-23
When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming towards him, he went out and bowed down before the king
with his face to the ground.
Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?"
"To buy your threshing-floor," David answered, "so that I
can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped."
Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the
burnt offering, and here are threshing-sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you."
Araunah, of course, also wanted the plague to stop. He welcomed King David, and offered to pay for the sacrifice himself. Hear David's reply:
Verse 24
But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God
burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels
of silver for them.
When God calls us to make any kind of sacrifice to Him, it's supposed to be a sacrifice! It's supposed to cost us something!
- When we give our Sunday morning to go to the church meeting, we don't only go when we feel like it - we also go when it's a sacrifice.
- When we offer Him worship in song, we don't only sing the songs we like - we sings the songs we don't enjoy singing - it's a sacrifice.
- When we invite people to dinner, we don't just invite our friends, we invite those in need - it's a sacrifice.
- When we give financially to the work of the gospel, we don't just give what we can easily afford - we give more than we can afford - it's a sacrifice.
And so on.
If we only do what we feel like doing, then we're doing it for us. But our whole lives should be "living sacrifices" (Romans 12v1). We should do what God wants, not what we feel like. Or are we no longer grateful for His redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross? Are we prepared to disregard our Saviour's wishes?
Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command".
Verse 25
David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD
answered prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Through this act of worship and submission - an act that was costly to the one who did it - all the people were blessed.
And when you and I live God's way, putting Him first, then we and our families, and our churches, and our nations, will be blessed, too.