09/29/2008
2 Samuel 24:18 - 25 (HCSB) 18Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the LORD had commanded.
20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground. 21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the LORD, so the plague on the people may be halted.”
22Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23[My] king, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 ounces of silver. 25He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel ended.
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Because of his sins, God offered David one of three punishments: 3 years of famine in Israel, 3 months of exile running from his enemies, or 3 days of plague in the land. David chose the later. Gad, the seer, brought to David a message that he was to build an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah, where God had restrained the destroyer from proceeding to Jerusalem.
Araunah offers to give David both the threshing floor and the oxen for the burnt offering, but David answers with a fascinating response: “I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
Although we are not called to give burnt offerings to God as the Israelites were commanded, I believe the principle still holds true. We need to offer to God, things that cost us: our time, our talents, and of course, our financial resources. If we offer something that costs us nothing, then it represents nothing. If we offer to God things that cost us, then it is a true demonstration of our devotion.
God does not need our time, talents or money. But he *desires* our devotion. Will you offer to God something that costs you nothing? Or will you offer to Him something that truly shows your devotion?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
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