J. Douglas Dortch, Jr., Ph.D.
First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL
“Is Anything Really Free? ”

Scripture: II Samuel 24:18-25

April 6 , 2008

A thing that few people know about me is that I am a sucker for “free stuff.”  I’ll break my neck to get to where people are giving things away.  I’ll cross six lanes of traffic, dial a day’s worth of “800 numbers”, and buy ten rolls of toilet paper to get ten more free.  There’s just something about getting something for nothing that just makes the day more complete.  Life takes so much out of us.  It’s just good that from time to time we can see a few things coming back in our direction.

I can be honest with you about this, because I know you feel the same way.  Who doesn’t like a bargain?  Who doesn’t like a good giveaway?  I know there are many of you who have procured your share of free stuff, too.

But is anything “really” free?  I don’t know that there is.  Much of the stuff that we claim ends up costing us big time.  You remember that free puppy you picked up – that puppy that ended up costing you a second mortgage with the vet.  Even if we manage to avoid some of the “acquisition” expenses that don’t show up as fine print, there are maintenance costs associated with our bargains, which is a situation that more times than not only adds to our frustration.  (How much storage space have you had to rent for your “free stuff” or for the stuff that your “free stuff” displaced?)

I don’t know that any of us is going to get out of this life without paying as we go.  And I don’t know that any of us should really want to.  I don’t know that any of us should really want to be seen as cheap, or irresponsible, or worst of all, as ungrateful. 

That’s the realization David came to in this passage from 2 Samuel.  In order to understand the meaning of this passage you must first understand something of its background.  David had just done something grievous to God.  He had numbered the people.  What made that such a bad thing was the way it revealed how much David thought of himself and how little he thought of God.  David was full of pride as he looked over the extent of his kingdom, and in numbering the people he was patting himself on the back for his accomplishments, completely erasing God from the equation.

Now, the prophet Gad has come to David to instruct him to build an altar to God on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  It was the prophet’s way of reminding David that whatever success we have in life, whatever favor we have in life, and whatever wealth we have in life all come from the hand of God; and when contemplating how well our lives may have gone, it is a faithful thing to worship God for His goodness and to praise Him for His taking care of us.  So, David does what the prophet commands him to do; he goes up to the house of Araunah to purchase the threshing floor and build God an altar.

When Araunah sees the king and his servants approaching, he drops what he’s doing and goes out to pay David homage.  It’s not everyday that a king pays a visit to a commoner.  I’m sure there might have been some concern on Araunah’s part that he had done something wrong or violated the king’s honor.  (How would you feel if one day you looked up and saw a presidential limousine parked out in your driveway with its tinted windows?  I’m sure you wouldn’t be thinking that the President had just dropped by to pass the day.)  So, when Araunah asks what the reason is for David’s visit and David answers that he has come by to negotiate a price for Araunah’s threshing floor, Araunah falls all over himself assuring David that no exchange of money is necessary.  Notice verse 22: “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up.  Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.  O king, Araunah gives all this to the king.”

You should know that Araunah was not being as generous as it might first appear.  Certainly, he was offering up free and clear his threshing floor and everything needed for a sacrifice.  After all, David was the king, and if it had been David’s pleasure, David could have conscripted it.  And David, while being a man after God’s own heart was nevertheless a man, probably gave serious thought to taking up Araunah on his offer.  After all, even king’s can appreciate a bargain.

But truth be told, this exchange follows the typical negotiating practices of the ancient world, and while Araunah knew that he was in no position to fleece the king, he also didn’t want to get fleeced by David in the process.  So, he leveled the playing field in his negotiation with David.  He invoked the name of God.  “May the LORD your God accept you.”  In other words, “May what you do be right in God’s eyes.”

Whatever ideas David may have been harboring over getting out of this negotiation on the cheap were suddenly swept away.  “This is about God.  This is about my response to God’s goodness.  This is about all that God has done to bring me to this point and to provide for me to this point.”  And the more David thought about Araunah’s qualifier, the more he knew that he could not do God’s bidding with clenched hands and a clenched heart.  And so he answered Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it.  I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”  David understood that when it comes to the will of God, nothing is free and nothing is cheap, because what we give shows how much we love.

How much do you love God?  How much do you want to see God’s will be done in this world?  How much are you willing to sacrifice in order for that will to come to pass?

Speaking of kings, I love the story of the king who once upon a time invited his subjects to a royal banquet.  The king told each guest to bring a flask of wine, explaining that all the flasks would be poured into one large wine vat from which the banquet’s beverages would be drawn.

One of the king’s subjects thought, “What will my small flask of wine mean?  Instead of bringing wine, I will bring a flask of water.  And when my flask of water is added to all the wine, it will blend right in, and no one will know the difference.”  And that’s exactly what he did.

On the night of the banquet, all the king’s subjects came together around the food-laden tables.  The king welcomed his guests, and then summoned his servants to serve the wine from the one large vat.  The glasses were all filled – with water.  For every one of the king’s subjects had brought water, not wine, reasoning to themselves that one little flask of water would blend right in with all the wine, and no one would know the difference.  But as it turned out, each gave something which showed just how little they loved the king and how little they valued his rule in their lives.

How much do you love God?  How much are you willing to sacrifice in order for His will to be done in our midst?

As most of you know, this morning we are beginning a five-week stewardship emphasis in our church that will culminate in a Day of Commitment on Sunday, May 4.  We’re doing this emphasis in anticipation of addressing our facilities needs, as we sense God leading us to remain “here” in this location for “life-changing” ministry. 

Many of you have been longing for this day to arrive.  You’ve been here as we’ve been wrestling over the issue of location for over fifteen years, and you’re relieved that we have a sense of direction as a church, and you’re ready not just to support it.  You’re ready to sacrifice for it.  You love this church, and you look forward to offering the best that you have.

For others, I know how difficult this time may be for you.  I know how many of you are young and obligated, or yet to be employed.  You’re thinking, “What can I give?”  “How can I participate?”  For many people those are legitimate questions, but not for everyone.  Some of the people who balk the loudest and the quickest when the church starts talking about an emphasis like this one are the people who have the nicest cars and premium cable subscriptions.  They’re the people who live in nice houses and wear the nicest clothes.  Interestingly enough, they’re also the people who have managed to amass the largest amount of credit card debt.  They’re not disciplined when it comes to money, and sacrifice isn’t in their vocabulary.

You say, “Well, that’s not me.  I honestly don’t have anything to give.”  But do you want to give?  Do you want to be able to do your part in bringing God’s will to pass?  You see, when I look at this story, it’s not the capacity of David that moves me.  It’s not the fact that David has resources from which to give.  It’s the spirit; it’s the willingness to respond to God with the best he can do.

My honest hope is that we will approach this time together with a willing spirit and an open heart.  My honest hope is that we’ll all look for ways to walk in the way of Jesus, who poured himself out in showing God’s love to us.  If we do that, then the results will take care of themselves.  We simply only need to come together with the best we can do and trust God to do the rest.  As someone has said, “God’s will done God’s way never lacks God’s supply.”

I invite you to dream with me this month about what might be done for God in this church if we were to give by this principle of sacrifice.  I invite you to consider the joy that you might experience personally, perhaps for the first time, as you take the step of offering to God something of true significance and not a mere leftover, or even worse, a weak excuse.

What you give shows how much you love.  David wouldn’t take the easy way out, even though he was the king.  He loved God too much.  For that matter neither did Jesus, who made the cross his throne.  He loved you too much.  And don’t you either, not because faith is something that you get what you pay for; more because faith is an acknowledgement that what we get from God through Jesus is always more than we deserve.  And in the face of such love, how can we do less?

When it comes to this “Here…for Life!” emphasis, follow your heart.  And as you do, may the LORD your God accept you.