Connect 2 Samuel 24:22 with New Testament teachings on cheerful giving. Context: David on the Threshing Floor 2 Samuel 24:22 – “Araunah said to David, ‘My lord the king may take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.’” • Araunah freely offers everything needed for sacrifice—land, animals, and wood. • David is about to stop a plague through worship; the stakes are life-and-death. A Costly Yes: David’s Heart in Giving • David refuses the gift, insisting in verse 24, “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” • He pays full price, demonstrating: – Ownership: true worship involves personal investment. – Gratitude: the Lord deserved David’s very best. – Faith: costly obedience trusts God to provide afterward. Cheerful Giving in the New Testament • 2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” • 2 Corinthians 9:6, 8 – generous sowing brings abundant harvest, and God “is able to make all grace abound to you.” • Luke 21:3-4 – Jesus praises the widow who “out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” • Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” • Philippians 4:18-19 – gifts to gospel work are “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God,” and He supplies every need. Threads That Tie the Testaments Together • Willingness: Araunah offers freely; believers give “not under compulsion.” • Costliness: David pays the full price; New Testament givers sacrifice joyfully. • Cheer: gratitude for God’s mercy fuels giving—whether halting a plague (David) or advancing the gospel (Corinthians). • Divine response: the plague stopped after David’s offering; God promises sufficiency and abundance to cheerful givers. Living It Out Today • Give personally—let it cost you something meaningful. • Give purposefully—decide in your heart, then act. • Give cheerfully—focus on God’s grace, not the loss of resources. • Give expectantly—trust the Lord who ends plagues and meets needs to multiply both the gift and the giver. |
    |