How does this verse connect to New Testament teachings on cheerful giving?

Context of 2 Samuel 24:23

• Israel is suffering a plague caused by David’s census.

• God directs David to build an altar on Araunah’s threshing floor.

• “O king, Araunah gives all this to the king… ‘May the LORD your God accept you.’” (2 Samuel 24:23)

• Araunah freely offers oxen, sledges, and the entire site—no strings attached.

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What Araunah Teaches Us About Giving

• Spontaneous generosity – he volunteers everything before being asked.

• Open-handed attitude – “gives all this” points to wholehearted surrender, not partial.

• God-centered motive – “May the LORD your God accept you” shows worship, not self-promotion.

• No expectation of repayment – Araunah’s heart mirrors Proverbs 11:25: “A generous soul will prosper.”

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David’s Response: Sacrifice with Substance

• David insists on paying: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (v. 24)

• Together, Araunah’s cheerful giving and David’s costly worship demonstrate both sides of biblical generosity: willing giver, worthy gift.

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New Testament Echoes

• 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.”

– Araunah: no reluctance, no compulsion.

• Acts 4:36-37 – Barnabas sells a field and lays the money at the apostles’ feet.

– Same pattern: property willingly released for God’s work.

• Mark 12:41-44 – The widow’s two small coins cost her everything, echoing David’s resolve that worship must cost something.

• Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you.” Araunah seeks God’s acceptance, anticipating the divine favor Jesus later promises.

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Key Parallels with Cheerful Giving

1. Willing heart precedes open hand.

2. Gifts are offered vertically to God, not horizontally for applause.

3. True generosity involves tangible sacrifice.

4. Joyful giving becomes a catalyst for God’s blessing and acceptance.

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Takeaway Principles for Us Today

• Cheerful giving isn’t new; it’s woven through the whole canon, from Araunah to the early church.

• God honors both the giver’s attitude (Araunah) and the gift’s costliness (David).

• Our offerings—time, talent, treasure—should be voluntary, joyful, and meaningful, knowing that the same God who accepted offerings on Araunah’s threshing floor delights in cheerful givers today.