PART C: A costless worship (King David's insights on worship)

Understanding the subject of worship helps us to pay homage to God. The remark of David in 2 Samuel 24:24 has much to add on to the subject of worship. 

“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”. 

The passage in 2 Samuel 24 has a parallel reading in 1 Chronicles 21. A parallel passage is a record of a similar event made by a different author. The “feeding of the 5000” in the New Testament is recorded in all the four gospels. Parallel passages in the Bible do not contradict each other but are written to complement and give the reader further enlightenment on a subject through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

1) Parallel verses on the account of David’s sin

The following are parallel verses on the account of David’s sin :

1 Chronicles 21:1 

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel”. 

2 Samuel 24:1    

And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, go, number Israel and Judah. 

These two passages can be reconciled as we know that all incitement to sin is caused by Satan. However, man has a free will and in simple terms, it means God allowed David the exercise of his own free will. 

Doubting the provision of God, David’s pride overrode his good sense and he exercised his will to sin by insisting on numbering the Israelites. In the midst of the exercise to number his people, he finally realized his mistake to conduct the census.

2) David’s repentance and insight

In 2 Samuel 24:10, David confessed his sin. He knew that God is merciful and submitted to the punishment by God. 

In 2 Samuel 24:14, David told Gad the prophet, “I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man”. 

Being a spiritually perceived man, David was right about the mercies of God. After the punishment meted out, God’s wrath was pacified. In verse 18, David was ordered to build an altar to God in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah was more than willing to give the place to David freely but David refused and said, “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 spiritual insight on worship is highly instructive. It is true that we worship in spirt and truth, and we are saved the moment we believe in Christ. However, it is important to always remind our fellow Christians that the salvation which God made freely available to us is very costly to Him. He has to send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins. It is a work planned before the foundation of the world, which the Lord Jesus completed whilst on earth for 33 years, leading to His death on the cross. 

For this reason, the Apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's”.

Lesson on David’s worship

David could have accepted the offer of Araunah and offered the sacrifice to God. But he knew that by doing so, he was not making any sacrifice to God, but continually living off God’s goodwill who made him king. If he was not a king, would Araunah give him the threshing floor for free? 

David, for all his weaknesses, was ever conscious of God’s goodness to him and he made the sublime statement that he would never offer to God things that cost him nothing.

What is costless worship and how it happens?

I believe it is not the intention of anyone to consciously offer God something that costs them nothing. However, unconsciously, a believer may just do that unwittingly. 

The following examples of costless or empty worship are for illustrations only and are never exhaustive. Every one of us must individually search our hearts and consider the cost we expend to worship God.

1) Remembering the Lord Jesus is of secondary priority

A person may say, “If there are better activities available, I will skip. Church is important but I cannot decline the invitation to have Dim Sum with my friends this Sunday morning. I will attend next week” 

Isn’t this empty worship? A costly worship is one when God is placed at the first priority. 

Mathew 22:37-38

v. 37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

v. 38: This is the first and great commandment.

2) Attending a church that suits a person’s convenience 

God has clearly set out how He should be worshipped in the Bible. If one’s convenience and personal preferences override God’s, are you worshipping God with nothing? We should bend our convenience and preferences to God’s and not the other way around. The Bible teaches us on the need to break bread every week as the Apostle did in Acts 20:7. Therefore if it is inconvenient to break bread in the manner He wanted every week, what is the cost of the worship?

3) Avoiding responsibilities in the church

A typical example: “Let others do all the work in the church, whether it is cleaning, hospitality, evangelism, offering or participating in any spiritual exercise. I will just attend church services and let the others take the responsibilities."

The Lord’s commendation of the woman in Luke 21:1-4 is instructive:

v. 1    And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 

v. 2    And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 

v.3    And he said, of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 

v. 4    For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

During the current lockdown, I was encouraged by a woman who asked me how she could contribute an offering as the church has been closed for so long. Clearly, she does not want to worship God with nothing.

Consequences of costless worship

The conscious and unconscious indulgence in costless worship will lead to spiritual weaknesses. It is sad to hear of baptized Christians who find that their spiritual lives have been dull even after being in fellowship in the assembly for many years. The subtlety of the Devil cannot be underestimated. Be careful of even small deviation from God’s words and the manner of our worship. As Galatians 5:9 mentions, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” 

Samson, a famous character in the Bible, is an example of someone who engages in costless worship. He was extremely gifted and endowed. He took the things of God lightly (failing in perennial worship) by complying with God's commandment only when it benefits him (e.g. not cutting his hair). In fact, he was not concerned about God’s instructions relating to holiness (Leviticus 19:2) and rooted himself to Delilah, telling her the secret of his strength.   Ignoring God’s teaching on separation resulted in his fall when he slept on Delilah’s knees (Judges 16:19). 

It is never the intention of God to demand things beyond our abilities or means. Even in offerings, we are instructed to give what we have. 

2 Corinthians 8:11-12

v.11    Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. 

v.12    For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 

Empty or costless worship happens when Christians profess to worship God, but are unwilling to make any personal sacrifices, offering to God nothing or things that suit to their convenience. 

In the purchase of our salvation, God did not spare His Son. He paid the ultimate cost. In addition to worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth, let us worship Him with some personal sacrifices. 

Romans 12:1     I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

With God’s blessings,

CL