What Does II Samuel 24:24 Mean?

David refuses the gift: "And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver." David's refusal to accept the gift is motivated by a theological principle: the sacrifice that costs the worshipper nothing is no sacrifice at all. The altar must be built on land that the king paid for, and the offering must come from the king's own substance, because worship without cost is worship without meaning.

The principle "neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing" is one of the most important statements about worship in the entire Old Testament. Worship that costs nothing is worth nothing, and the God who gave everything deserves an offering that reflects the giver's investment. David's insistence on paying the full price for the threshing floor establishes the principle that defines authentic worship in every generation.

The Lord Jesus offered the costliest sacrifice in the history of the universe: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." The offering of Christ cost God everything: the Son gave His life, the Father gave His Son, and the Spirit applies the sacrifice to every soul that believes. The worship that costs nothing is the worship that the cross condemns, and the offering that God accepts is the offering that reflects the measureless cost of Calvary.