1 Chronicles 21:22-24
Sell .................. pay <05414> [Grant. Heb. Give.]
Sell .................. pay <05414> [thou shalt grant.]
plague <04046> [that the plague.]
have .... master <03947 0113> [Take it.]
oxen <01241> [the oxen.]
insist .... it <07069> [Nay.]
<05375> [for I will not.]
It is a maxim from heaven, "Honour the Lord with thy substance." He who has a religion that costs him nothing, has a religion that is worth nothing; nor will any man esteem the ordinances of God, if those ordinances cost him nothing. Had Araunah's noble offer been accepted, it would have been Araunah's sacrifice, not David's; nor would it have answered the end of turning away the displeasure of the Most High. It was David that sinned, not Araunah; therefore David must offer sacrifice.