It’s week two of our series from Mourning to Morning, and Sophomore Jason Broux has a word for you on Sacrifice! Let’s get ready to receive from this amazing devotional.
“That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. “Why have you come, my Lord the king?” Araunah asked. David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.” “Take it, my Lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.” - 2 Samuel 24:18-25 NLT
In the verses before this passage we see that David had sinned against God. As a result, 70,000 people died because of David’s mistake. Afterwards, God told David to go to the floor of Araunah and offer a sacrifice unto the Lord. When Araunah saw David coming, he fell before him and offered to give King David everything needed for the sacrifice: the land, the animals, and even his oxen’s wooden yoke for the fire. But David refused and said, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” We can learn several things about offering a meaningful sacrifice from this.
Obedience is what God desires the most from us. David’s sin, on the other hand, brought God’s judgment. Do not be fooled into thinking that giving will completely get rid of rebellion. Amos 5:22 clearly states that God will not accept sacrifice if is not done in obedience.
David’s problems started when he took his eyes off the Lord and looked to himself. This pride led him to count the people. Araunah, is an example of humility. He saw David, recognized him, and bowed in submission, offering a gift of great worth. When we sacrifice, we need to focus on Jesus, never on ourselves.
Araunah, the farmer, was willing to give everything to David: the land, the oxen, and the wood from his yokes. On the other side, King David purchased the threshing floor—and later on, the whole mountaintop—as a place to sacrifice unto the Lord. From the king to the farmer, both were willing to sacrifice.
Araunah’s sacrificial offering was no small gift. It would have been very costly to him, but he offered it freely to the king. And David realized that if it did not cost him something, it would not be worship. That is why he refused the gift and paid Araunah instead. A sacrifice that costs nothing is worth nothing
