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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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2 Samuel 24:24
“But [David] 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.’”
Sacrifices cost something.
We are coming to the end of David’s reign and indeed his life. You will notice I have not covered many incidents in his life. We have not looked at David’s victory over Goliath, his problems with his various sons and his hiding from Absolom. David was still the greatest king Israel ever had - even though he made mistakes. He was a poor father and by no means perfect in every way, but his greatest assets were his humility and honesty. He owned up to his mistakes and sought God’s forgiveness - which was always available. His life was recorded so that we too might learn from it and put the good parts into practice.
God hasn’t changed. He still seeks those with a heart after Himself. We will never be perfect either, so we should also recognise our mistakes and sin, own them, repent and seek His forgiveness. Then His word for us is the same as it was for David - “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It’s a ‘Ring of Truth’!
But surely forgiveness stops somewhere? No. It never ceases. Whenever I confess, repent and ask for forgiveness, I will always receive it -
a)Because God is not like us. His mercy and faithfulness are eternal without exhaustion.
b)Because God knows how we are made and has provided His grace as our only hope. Yes, our salvation is not by our works of righteousness but by His grace.
Here David got it wrong again. “Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, ‘Go and take a census of Israel and Judah’” (2 Samuel 24:1).
To give Joab credit, his due - he knew it was wrong, and he tried to make David see sense. “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it” (v 3). When they finally came back, having completed the exercise, “David was conscience-stricken” (v 10). He didn’t need a Nathan to point it out. He knew it. However, God sent another prophet to him to give him 3 options - 3 years of famine, 3 months fleeing from his enemies or 3 days of plague. David decided to throw himself on the mercy of God, rather than that of men.
God sent a plague, which killed 70,000 people, so David asked the angel to strike him and his family rather than the people. The Angel was at the threshing floor belonging to Araunah. David proposed a sacrifice and Araunah offered to give David his oxen and carts for the sacrifice and for the fire for the burnt offering, but David refused them. “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
What about you? When you go to church, do you go to get, to receive or to give? Are you miserly with your finances or liberal? Will your financial offering be a cost or just ‘the surplus’?
Remember the story of the chicken and the pig? They were walking down the road when they saw the church poster. ‘Come and enjoy a ham & egg breakfast supporting the church restoration fund.’ “See,” said the chicken, “they couldn’t do it without me.” “True,” replied the pig “but, whereas yours is an offering, mine is a sacrifice!”
And your worship? Will it cost you something or will it not actually ascend to God at all?
Are you really grateful that He came and died for you?
What have you given to Him lately?
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