II Samuel 24:24 Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing
Let me describe a really good day. A good day is you walk out in your front yard and find an ornate bottle out of which comes a genie who offers you three wishes of health, wealth, and friends beyond imagination, or whatever you wish. That is a really good day. I wouldn’t expect that by the way. A really bad day would be if God sent you a prophet and offered you three calamities. Now, lest that sounds fanciful, that is exactly what happened with David. David had sinned and in II Samuel 24 the prophet of God offered David three choices of what God would do to him.
In II Samuel 24 we find basically the back story for the foundation of the temple. You find two offers here. One is an offer God gave to David, and the other is an offer that David gave God. In verse 14, when confronted with three choices which were bad, worse, and a surprise, David said to Gad the prophet, “I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD: for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.”
Now, David knew a little something about his need for mercy. Ironically, the last verse of the previous chapter lists Uriah the Hittite last on the list of David’s mighty men. You remember how David treated Uriah the Hittite? Who was more offended by David’s sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah, Uriah’s family or God? In Psalm 51, David says, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,” speaking to God. So, the offense was against Uriah, but ultimately it was against God.
Who do you think would have offered greater mercy, Uriah’s family or God? If I had been Uriah’s brother, for example, I would have loved nothing more than revenge, a baseball bat and ten minutes with David in a closed room. God did punish David’s sin with Bathsheba, there is no doubt about it, but notice that when given a choice of judgment, David said, “I just want to leave the choice to God because God is more merciful than people.”
Ultimately David didn’t need choices. David didn’t need numbers. He had been assessing his army prior to this. David didn’t need a mighty army or great choices. David needed God. Today, you don’t need what God gives; you need God Himself. If a thunderstorm rolls in that scares a small child, what do they cry for, the sunshine or their mom? They cry for their mom because they assume if they have mom, they have everything they need. When you have God, you have everything you need. I am not saying that we can’t ask God for specific needs. I do that every day, but ultimately David didn’t need choices. David needed God. That is the first offer.
The second offer is found in verse 24. God instructs David to build an altar unto Him. David goes to the place God had instructed and offers the owner of the property money. The owner says, “No, I am going to give it to you, both the animals for sacrifice and the altar.” The king says to the owner, “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which has cost me nothing.” So, God offered David a choice and David offered God a sacrifice for which he paid.
What did David have that God didn’t give? Solomon built the temple, but he built it from materials, silver and gold and other things, that ultimately came from God. David wasn’t being generous; he was being honest. Everything he had was of God. In Psalm 51:16-17 David says, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God is a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” God doesn’t want what I have. God wants me. I have nothing to give God that God didn’t give me first. I have nothing to give God but self, acknowledgement of His gift to me, gratitude.
Two offers are found here. The one God made to David and the one David made to God. What you find is that David needed God’s mercy. God didn’t want sacrifice. God wanted David. You have nothing but self to give God today. Keep your relationship to God simple. There may be a lot of questions or elements in play, but ultimately it is God and you. You don’t need what God can give; you need God. God doesn’t need what you can give; God wants you. Keep your relationship with God simple today.