Before we read the scripture, I want to acknowledge that in our journey through the stories of the Bible, we have skipped a great deal of King David’s life. (I didn’t want you to think that since we jumped from his choice as king to the end of his reign, you had missed some sermons—that we had secret worship services during the week and didn’t bother telling you!). We are only spending two sermons on King David because, #1, I preached a series on his life last summer. The audio files and manuscripts are on the church’s web page. And #2, we have to stay on track to make it through the Bible in one year, our goal.

 

David led an eventful life (that’s putting it mildly). He defeated the giant Goliath. He was chased by a crazed King Saul. He was best friends with King Saul’s son Jonathan. He became king and consolidated the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and led Israel to its Golden Age, with borders secure and the nation prospering. But David also sinned by committing adultery and killing Bathsheba’s husband. David’s own son Absalom led a revolt against the kingdom and was killed in the process.

 

The background to this sermon text is that David sinned by conducting a census of all Israel. It’s a bit unclear but our best guess is that the census showed a lack of trust in the LORD, an arrogance of power and self-reliance rather than God-reliance. It perhaps showed all of Israel’s sins in a microcosm—a trust in military might rather than in God’s power. It was a sort of “look-at-me-aren’t-I-something” attitude (you know…we all get that way sometimes).

 

[READ THE TEXT, 2 SAMUEL 24:18-25]

Is your life focused on loving people and using things or loving things and using people? David’s life kept oscillating between those two themes. And the drama was finally played out when David went to make sacrifice to the LORD, to express his repentance for his sin. He went to the threshing floor owned by Araunah. It was a place where grain was brought and separated from the stalk. It was a level spot at the top of a hill (golly, what would it be like to live in a hill-filled town??? I love it when someone new moves to Jefferson City and they tell me, “We’re going to build a house. We’re looking for a level lot.” I always say, “Let me know how that works out for you!”).

 

Anyway, the site was to be level so that appropriate preparations could be made, a fit place for an altar. But when Araunah saw the king coming, he fell down, face-first, in the dirt and straw. When King David told Araunah why he had come, Araunah did what any good subject would do. He told the king, “Here, your majesty, I’ll donate the place, and throw in the oxen and wood for the sacrifice.” And then David spoke those words that are so powerful (v. 24): “No. I’ll buy all of it. I will not offer to Yahweh my God that which costs me nothing.” For the sacrifice to mean anything, it had to cost.

 

I believe that up to this point, David had always held something back. He stayed in the driver’s seat, stayed in charge. Whether it was his friendship with Jonathan, or dealings with Saul, or his military affairs. There was something shrewd and calculating in David’s life. But here, now, finally, a surrendered life! And by the way, Holy Scripture doesn’t want us to miss the significance of this event. This is the very spot where centuries before, Abraham had offered up his son Isaac at the altar. I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. And, it would be the site where later, David’s son, Solomon, would build the glorious Temple. I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.

 

Today is Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter, the day when the Christian Church, all over the world, celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit invading our lives is nothing less than the Spirit of Jesus, the Lordship of Christ inviting us to daily surrender: I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. And the Spirit-filled life, the surrendered life, is most clearly shown in the way we view possessions and the way we relate to others, to use them or serve them.

 

Think about what we know of King David. Earlier in his life, he had used people and loved things. He had not love people and used things: he saw a woman and took her; her husband was in the way, so he had him killed. Now, in our text, he could have bullied, misused his power and taken the property from Araunah. After all, he’s king! But instead, I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. The coming of the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are bound mysteriously as family, and that we don’t use others.

 

One of my seminary professors once said that our offerings are important because if we’re sincere, we’re offering our personalities as well as our property. And our offerings are important, not because of what they do for God, but because of what they do for us. They remind us that all of life is a gift, a loan. They help us keep a perspective, to love people, not use them. I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.

 

On June 6, we are having our “Raising The Bar Sunday.” A time to focus on sacrificial giving, challenging those who don’t tithe (give 10%) to try it once. And those who give can’t, to at least raise giving by a few percentage points. And those who are tithing to try to give a percentage point or two more on that Sunday. Though the challenge is to try it one Sunday, we also have people in our church who are making permanent increases in giving. One young adult in our church emailed me recently and said that the giving amount would be increased (through electronic giving) because this person had received a raise. This person said, “I give 10% to the church because the Bible says to give…[and we] have been blessed.”

 

Janet and I have talked and prayed about it and we also plan to make a permanent increase in our electronic tithe. I share this not to brag but as your leader, to say I would never ask you to do something I would not do myself. We do this because God has been good, because we believe in the mission of this church and because I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. But what about those of us going through unemployment or economic downturn, who can’t possibly increase giving? It’s not about the dollars; it’s about the heart! That’s what Pentecost is all about. We are family, and we have each other’s backs in the lean times. We each bring our unique sacrifices to God, whether money, talents, time and devotion. How sad would it be if we had everything you could want in a church—wonderful facilities, great staff, a large list of volunteers—except commitment, except a sense of surrender to the Lord. How sad.

 

And ponder this: the surrender and commitment that King David made, I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing, was not to be a one-time event, but a posture for all his life. And for ours. In all that we do in the coming week!

 

I once heard Tony Campolo share his deep conviction about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was very moving. He said that early in the morning, as he is still lying in bed, he invites the Spirit to come in, clean him up, and then he says (and only Campolo can!), he asks the Holy Spirit to “load me up” for the coming day. And he surrenders his will to the Spirit. Daily. Surrender. I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.