How does 1 Chronicles 21:25 demonstrate the principle of sacrificial giving? Setting the scene • Israel suffers a divinely-sent plague after David’s census (1 Chronicles 21:7-14). • God, through the prophet Gad, directs David to build an altar on Ornan’s threshing floor to stay the plague (vv. 18-19). • Ornan offers the land and his oxen freely, but David insists on paying: “So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.” (1 Chronicles 21:25) David’s costly choice • Six hundred shekels of gold was an enormous sum—roughly 15 pounds (about 7 kg) of gold. • David refuses the convenience of a no-cost offering: “I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24—the parallel account) Principles of sacrificial giving illustrated 1. Giving that costs me something • True sacrifice involves real expense—time, treasure, or comfort. • David’s payment exemplifies Psalm 96:8: “Bring an offering and enter His courts.” The offering must be mine, not borrowed or discounted. 2. Giving that honors God above personal security • A plague is raging; resources could be hoarded for national recovery, yet David parts with vast wealth. • Proverbs 3:9-10 links honor with plenty: first the honor (“Honor the LORD with your wealth”), then the provision (“your barns will be filled”). David trusts this order. 3. Giving that flows from repentance and worship • The altar’s purpose is atonement; the gift is an act of repentance, not public relations. • Romans 12:1 applies the pattern: “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice… this is your spiritual worship.” 4. Giving that invites divine blessing • Immediately after the purchase, “the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar” (1 Chronicles 21:26). • Sacrificial generosity often precedes divine endorsement (Malachi 3:10). New-Testament echoes • The widow’s two mites (Mark 12:41-44) mirror David’s heart: God values proportionate sacrifice, not outward amount. • 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 connects cheerful, costly giving with God’s abundant grace. Living it today • Evaluate offerings by their cost to self, not convenience. • Prioritize God’s honor in budgeting, even when resources feel tight. • Let repentance and gratitude, not obligation, motivate generosity. • Expect God’s presence and provision to follow authentic, sacrificial gifts. |
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