Givers In The Hands Of A Loving God Series

Givers in the Hands of a Loving God

1 Chron. 21:18-25

Jan. 29, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor

Introduction:

A

B David was feeling pretty full of himself in later years & called for a census so he could brag about the size of the nation he ruled.

1 Nobody told him to so the census (the enemy)

a God brought judgment on David & allowed him to choose 3 ways he was to be judged.

aa 3 years of famine, 3 months destroyed by enemies, or 3 days of judgment by the angel of God.

bb David chose the latter (70,000 people died)

b And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 1 Chron 21:15 (NASB)

c David was deeply grieved over how his sin had affected the congregation/nation of Israel & as he prayed we pick up our text.

2 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the LORD. 20 Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before David with his face to the ground. 22 Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people." 23 Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all." 24 But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing." 25 So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. 1 Chron 21:18-25 (NASB)

a Both men in our text were givers who pleased God with their giving (ETS)

b Believers can exercise giving that truly pleases God (ESS)

3 I hope you’ll examine your giving in light of the giving of the two men in our text. (OBJ)

a What does your offering cost you? (PQ)

TS Let’s look at the giving habits of the two men in our text.

I The first person whose giving habits we’ll examine is David.

A David was arguably the wealthiest & most powerful world leader of his time (Bill Gates or king of Saudia Arabia).

1 As the king of Israel, everything in the nation was subject to him (land, goods, people, animals, everything belonged to the king).

a David’s sinful past had put his entire kingdom/nation in harm’s way.

aa David said to God, "Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued." 1 Chron 21:17 (NASB) David made a confession of his sin, but didn’t stop at confession.

bb Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The altar was repentance. Things would be different.

b The land the altar was built on was in his kingdom (subject to him).

aa Ornan was offering the land to King David gratis, but David gave one of the greatest principles in the Scripture in our text. But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing."

bb David understood that God takes no pleasure in the man/woman who only gives what does not involve sacrifice.

cc David refused to give God something which cost him nothing. Why? No sacrifice