What does David's purchase reveal about his understanding of true worship? Setting the Scene • “So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.” (1 Chronicles 21:25) • A plague was ravaging Israel because David had sinned by numbering the people. At God’s command through the prophet Gad, David was to build an altar on Ornan’s (Araunah’s) threshing floor so the judgment would stop (vv. 18-22). • Ornan offered the land and oxen for free, but David insisted on paying in full (cf. 2 Samuel 24:24). David’s Refusal to Offer Cheap Worship • “I will not present to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24) • David’s conviction: true worship must involve personal sacrifice. • The six hundred shekels of gold (about fifteen pounds) was an enormous sum, underscoring deliberate, heartfelt devotion rather than tokenism. What the Purchase Reveals about David’s Understanding of True Worship • Worship is Costly – Genuine worship demands something valuable: time, treasure, pride, comfort (Romans 12:1). • Worship Involves Repentance and Humility – David’s sin had brought judgment; his payment signified a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). • Worship Requires Personal Ownership – Accepting a gift from Ornan would have shifted the cost to another. David owned the responsibility before God. • Worship Honors God’s Holiness – Purchasing the precise location God specified showed obedience to divine instruction, not personal preference. • Worship Prepares a Place for God’s Presence – The threshing floor later became the temple site (2 Chronicles 3:1). David’s costly act paved the way for corporate worship for generations. • Worship Rejects Half-hearted Offerings – David modeled the opposite of the blemished sacrifices condemned in Malachi 1:8. New Testament Echoes • Romans 12:1 – the living sacrifice principle. • Hebrews 13:15 – continual “sacrifice of praise.” • 1 Peter 2:5 – believers as a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. David’s example foreshadows the ultimate costly sacrifice—Christ Himself—showing that worship rooted in sacrifice culminates at the cross. Takeaways for Today • Give God the best, not the leftovers. • Let worship flow from repentance and gratitude, not obligation. • Obey God’s specific leading, even when it is costly. • Remember that costly worship blesses others; David’s payment secured the place where countless would meet God. |
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