Costly Offerings

Have you ever given God something that actually cost you? David refused to offer the Lord anything that cost him nothing—and Leviticus shows why.

“When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock” (Leviticus 1:2).

Massive crowds attended camp meetings in nineteenth-century America, but not everyone received the same benefit. In his study of the history of camp meetings, Dr. Timothy K. Beougher noted that the ones who gained the most were those whose attendance “cost them the greatest sacrifice.”

God taught His people this principle in their journey through the wilderness. They needed to understand what it meant to give an offering. Specifically, offerings were to be made using animals that were part of the herd or flock. In other words, offerings had to be personal and cost something … animals in which they had invested time and resources.

When God told David to build an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, this man generously told David, “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish.” He even offered “oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.”

But David insisted on “buying it for the full price,” saying, “I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” (1 Chronicles 21:18–24 NLT). He realized he wouldn’t be honoring God unless his offering cost him something.

Give God offerings out of the substance of your life. Give Him your best!

Reflection Question: Describe an offering to the Lord that cost you something.

Frequently Asked Questions

What made David insist on paying full price for Araunah’s threshing floor?

David understood that an offering costing him nothing wouldn’t honor God—1 Chronicles 21:24 records him saying he wouldn’t present a sacrifice that cost him nothing.

Does “costly” always mean money?

No—cost can be measured in time, comfort, reputation, or effort. The principle is sacrifice that’s genuinely felt, not a specific dollar amount.

How can I apply the “cost me nothing” principle this week?

Look for one act of service, generosity, or obedience that will actually require something of you—time you’d rather spend elsewhere, or comfort you’d rather keep—and offer it deliberately.