So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. (2 Samuel 24:15-25)
I Won’t Do That: Are We Willing to Sacrifice if It Comes at A Personal Cost?
2 Samuel 24:15-25
2 Samuel 24 is such a fascinating passage describing David’s sin in ordering a census to be taken of the nation of Israel and the resulting judgment of God. We aren’t told why the census displeased the LORD; it seems likely that David’s desire to count the people of Israel came from a prideful place in the king’s heart or a desire to trust in Israel’s military might rather than the protection of God. That sin results in pestilence that kills 70,000 Israelites. If pride in the size of the nation or misplaced trust in Israel’s military might were what motivated David to conduct this census, by the end of the story the nation and its military had been shrunk significantly through this plague. Through the prophet Gad, David is shown the remedy to this calamity. He is to erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When Araunah finds out David’s purpose in coming he offers to supply the land and everything needed to make the prescribed sacrifices freely. David’s response reveals the heart from which this redemptive action flows: “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). David realized that any sacrifice that doesn’t come at a personal cost is no real sacrifice.
David’s faithfulness to sacrifice in this way reminds me of the common breakfast metaphor used to illustrate the difference between a contribution and a sacrifice. A chicken contributes to your breakfast, but a pig makes a sacrifice. The difference between a contribution and a sacrifice really comes down to cost. The eggs on our plate are appreciated, but the bacon, sausage, or ham that rests next to them show that someone paid the ultimate price for our meal. David’s interaction with Araunah showed that he was willing to make much more than a contribution toward the redemption of his sin and the wholeness of his people.
Asking the question: “What won’t I do for God?” invites us to consider our willingness to sacrifice. That’s often where people get off the train of service; we might be willing to contribute for the kingdom, in much the same way the chicken contributes to our breakfast. When asked to sacrifice along the levels of the pig, many would say, “I would do anything for God, but I won’t do that.”
David’s sin in this census fiasco reminds us that even the most faithful among us are sinners in need of grace. Like this great ancestor of our faith, we have sinned against God and are recipients of His unearned grace. Jesus did much more than contribute toward our salvation; He died for us while we were yet sinners. Any sacrifice we make is a response to His redemptive sacrifice on our behalf. David’s faithful commitment to purchase Araunah’s property at a fair price to keep his sacrifice “above board” sets a good standard for us in considering our own willingness to sacrifice. When it comes to serving the LORD are we looking for a freebie or a discount or are we responding to the One who gave everything to redeem us from sin? Are We Willing to Sacrifice if It Comes at A Personal Cost? And if it doesn’t cost us something, is it really a sacrifice?