A Sacrifice Should Cost Me Something   
 
1 Chronicles 21:18-27  
 
A sacrifice is defined as, “An offering made to God . . . as an acknowledgement of his power and provision,” and as, “Surrender or loss made or incurred for gaining some object, or for obliging another.” Sacrifice is about acknowledging God’s power, and about giving up something lesser to obtain something greater. If we want a breakthrough we will have to make a sacrifice, and a sacrifice must cost us something; for we can’t cheat the Lord and expect him to bless us for it.  
 

1.David Was Asked to Make a Sacrifice (vv. 18-22) 
 
We see here that David was required to erect an altar to the Lord, meaning that he was required to make a sacrifice. We also see the mention of an angel. What is going on here?  If we start by looking back at verses 1-6 of 1 Chronicles chapter 21 we find that Satan moved David to sin against the Lord by taking a census of the people and all the available fighting men in Israel. Taking a census was a sin, because David was hoping to place his trust in the number of soldiers he had instead of placing his trust in God’s power to fight for Israel.

In verse 17 we read that David accepted responsibility for his sin, which brings us to our main passage where the Lord is asking David to make atonement for his sin and to prove his repentance by making a sacrifice.  
 
From the background we learn a valuable lesson in our faith in God. How many times have we taken a census, or numbered our resources, in a moment of crisis or in a time in which God was asking us to walk by faith? How many times have we trusted in and relied on human reasoning and understanding over God’s infinite wisdom? How many times have we sought advice from people instead of going to the Lord in prayer? Like David, we tend to trust in people more than we trust God.  
 
2.Ornan Refused to Charge King David (vv. 23-24) 
 
David was asked to make a sacrifice, and here he was being given an exit or the easy way out of his commitment before God. Ornan wished to give away his threshing floor to David, and not just the land, but also the elements of the sacrifice, such as the oxen, implements, wood, and the wheat and the grain. Ornan likely did this out of respect for David’s position as the king, for we read in verse 23 where Ornan stated, “Let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes.” He was indeed the king, and he could have used his position to take advantage of the situation, but David instead chose to do the right thing.  When Ornan offered the sacrificial elements to David free of charge, David replied, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.” A sacrifice really isn’t a sacrifice until it costs us something.  
 

Have you ever before made a promise to offer a sacrifice unto the Lord, or did the Lord ask from you a sacrifice? What sacrifice did you promise to God and then you took the easy way out?  
 

Example :Suppose you made a promise to the Lord to pay your tithe. If we ever truly tithe it will put us in a place where money is going to be tight.  Yes, the Lord promises us an abundance if we tithe (Malachi 3:10), however that abundance might not come immediately, for the Lord has to see what’s in our heart and to see if we will continue to be faithful in our tithing. You know that God has asked you to tithe, but then one day as you’re checking out of the line at the grocery store you notice that the person at the counter gave you too much change. Then you declare, “God blessed me because I am tithing!” And then you use that money to pay your tithe. First of all you have ignored the right thing to do, which was to be honest and return the money, and secondly you gave to the Lord what cost you nothing. It wasn’t a tithe, and it wasn’t a true sacrifice. David could have easily concluded that Ornan’s offer to him was God’s blessing for the “promise” he had made to offer the Lord a sacrifice, however David knew that God wanted more than just a shallow “promise.” God wants us to “put our money where our mouth is,” to use a common idiom. 
 
3.God Honored David’s Genuine Sacrifice (vv. 25-27) 
 
We see here that David paid for the sacrifice, revealing his sincere heart before God. The Lord honored his sincerity and caused the angel to return his sword to his sheath. What God honored was David’s submission and willingness to trust God with the situation. The Lord searches our hearts to see if we are sincere before him.

2 Chronicles 16:9 we read, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” The Lord wants to show that he is strong and faithful on behalf of those whose hearts are sincere before him, and he will do so if we just submit ourselves to him. In James 4:10 we are told, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”  
 
Time of Reflection 
 
If the Lord has ever asked you to make a sacrifice for him, and you tried to take a shortcut, I am sure that you have already paid for your mistake by experiencing hardships; however you still need to settle the matter with the Lord and ask his forgiveness. Would you do that today? Many people fail to accept Jesus into their hearts because they don’t want to make a sacrifice, but they want to live for themselves, but I want to warn you that there are no shortcuts to heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). I invite you to make a sacrifice to the Lord by giving him your life in worship, in love, and in service in his kingdom.