.... with that which costs me nothing (2 Samuel 2:24). In verse 1, though we are not told why, we read that the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. There is some doubt about who (God or Satan) moved David to commit the sin of numbering the people, but he did (verses 1, 2; 1 Chronicles 21:1). It is also something of a puzzle as to why numbering the people was a sin, we are only told that it was. Afterwards David's heart condemned him (verse 10). Our conscience is a precious thing, since it can bring us to repentance and reconciliation with God. It can be over active, or under active (seared with an iron when we deliberately ignore it - 1 Timothy 4:2). There is much to say about these things, but this is not the thrust of where the Lord is leading me this morning.
Though in Israel's case we are not told the sin (verse 1), note that it was both David and Israel that had sinned. The Lord gave David a choice of punishment, and He had chosen to allow himself and Israel to fall into God's merciful hand, rather than to fall into the hand of man (verses 13, 14). And God had sent a plague which had killed seventy thousand. The angel of death was about to stretch out his hand over Jerusalem, but the Lord intervened. Through the prophet Gad He told David to erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah had offered to supply everything free of charge, including a yoke of oxen for the sacrifice. David's response is this morning's quote. This was no superficial repentance on David's part.
The sacrifices of the Old Covenant had to be perfect, the best of the heard, animals without spot or blemish. In other words the sacrifice was costly. Anything less was not worthy of being presented to God. In light of all of who God is, and all He has done for us, if it's not costly, neither is our sacrifice worthy to be presented to Him. In the midst of Abram waiting for the promised son, the Lord appeared to him and told him “I am your exceedingly great reward,” but Abram's focus was on what he did not yet have (Genesis 15:1, 2). In requiring our absolute devotion, and our very very best, God is not some egotistical maniac looking out only for Himself. No, no He knows that when we give our all, our very very best, it is then that we find the reward is everything and more that, in our more sober moments, we desire. And unless and until we are willing to give our all, we will not experience Him for what He is, our exceedingly great reward.
Father, You are not some Scrooge in the sky wanting to deprive us of satisfaction. No, no You always desire the very, very best for us. And this is only found when we give You our all, loving You with all our heart mind soul and strength and our neighbour as ourselves. Lord it sounds like such a sacrifice, and it feels like it until we let go. Then on the other side of letting go, we discover it is what we wanted all along, for You are indeed our exceedingly great reward. Thank You Lord for this truth, help us to live it in Jesus Name Amen
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