1 Chron 21:22 David said to [Araunah], “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an alter to the LORD….Sell it to me at full price.”
David has sinned against God, and he is trying to atone for his sins. Araunah, is trying to be generous to his king. But David knows his sacrifice must cost him something. He cannot sacrifice out of Araunah’s generosity.
1 Chron 21:23 Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”
Commentary says that David’s being a man after God’s own heart doesn’t mean he is sinless. It means he is sensitive to his sin, he feels it deeply, and he understands the path back to God. He must sacrifice. It must cost him something.
1 Chron 21:24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that cost me nothing.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for David’s heart, that he understands when he has strayed from You, that he understands the sacrifice involved in making amends. I want to be sinless, Lord, but I know that is not possible, so help me to be sensitive and understanding in how to restore my bond with You. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Chron 21:25 So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.