By Andrew Williams – November 14, 2021
“Then the king said to Araunah, “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.” 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 So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.”
II Samuel 24:24-25 NKJV
Good morning fellow disciples.
Have you ever made choices that caused your church or disciples to come under God’s judgement? Has your choices caused others to suffer for your prideful declarations or choices? Has God given you ways to remedy your mistakes but your choice brings condemnation to others instead of you?
In today’s story we see King David making a choice to stop God’s judgement on Israel, but this comes after several other choices the king had made. In summary: 1. King David had ordered a census of Israel, which he should not have done. He did this against the advice of the commander of the army.
2. When the army came back with the numbers, David realized that he had done something wrong and repented, but this was SEVEN MONTHS after he ordered the census.
3. God gave him three choices as punishment for his sin, but David’s choice lead to 70000 persons being killed. When David saw the death toll this was his response:
Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.” II Samuel 24:17 NKJV
And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.
II Samuel 24:18-19 NKJV
Araunah offered David the king everything he needed to offer the sacrifice but David refused to take them unless he paid the full price for them. How could he sacrifice something to God unless it cost him something?
My question to us today is : “What are you sacrificing to God, and has it cost you?” As leaders sometimes you make offerings to God at the expense of your congregants, but it does not cost you anything at all. What are you willing to sacrifice to God so that God will heal you and spare your flock?
Prayer: Father God, Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.
Spare them the judgment that would befall them because of my actions, I pray amen.