I finished reading the last chapter of 2 Samuel this morning. It’s kind of a wild read…I need to go back to it to be sure I understand everything that’s going on there. Here’s the abridged version of events:

1. God tells King David to take a census because He is upset with Israel (it doesn’t say why).
2. David tells his commanders to take the census.
3. The commanders question the reason for the census…David says, “Just do it”.
4. The commanders take the census.
5. David feels guilty about taking the census and confesses to God.
6. God makes David pick one of three punishments: famine for 3 tears, running from enemy for 3 months, or plaque for 3 days.
7. David picks the plaque (WHAT?!?)
8. The angel of death kills 70,000 Israelites until God tells him to stop.
9. A prophet tells David to set up an alter to God  on Araunah’s threshing floor and the plaque will stop.
10. David goes to Araunah to buy his threshing floor and set up the altar.
11. David sets up the altar and the plaque stops.
12. End of chapter. End of the book.

Like I said…I need to go back on do some more study here because there are several things that don’t add up for me.  UPDATE: I did a little study here and the answers are pretty simple. This incident is also recounted in 1 Chronicles 21 and in that passage it is clear that God is not the one who caused David to sin by taking the census (but He did allow it, much like He did with Job): “Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel” (2 Chronicles 21:1, NLT). It is presumed that it was David’s vanity and self-sufficiency that is the problem here—he just had to know how large his kingdom was! ON #7 above, David simply throws himself at God’s mercy and God chose the plaque.

In the meantime, there was one comment that David makes in this passage that is important. David is asking Araunah about buying his threshing floor. Of course, Araunah says he can have it…the king shouldn’t have to pay for anything right? What David says next is critical:

I will not present burnt offerings to
the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.
2 Samuel 24:24, NLT

David got it. He understood this principle. It would have been easy for him to say “thanks” and take the threshing floor and oxen and perform the sacrifice. But then it wouldn’t have been a sacrifice. Sacrifice has to cost us something. It has to..or it isn’t a sacrifice. Of course, this isn’t our preference. We (at least I) prefer to get a deal…we prefer a cheap sacrifice. Or no sacrifice if we can get away with it. But we can’t.

So…what’s your sacrifice? And what has it cost you?