Message
In our Bible text for today, we read about the widow of Zarephath who had only one meal left. She and her son were going to eat and die. She sacrificed that one meal and she and her son lived on. In , the Bible says if you offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and pay your vows, God will deliver you in the day of trouble.
In , seventy thousand men had died from a pestilence that arose in Israel due to David conducting a census that displeased God. This was a big disaster and something had to be done immediately to stop it. They had prayed and, although God had stopped the angel that was spreading the plague, He did not recall him; the angel remained at the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite. This still meant trouble, so David’s seer - Gad decided that they should apply a principle to avert the disaster.
And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David wanted to make the sacrifice, Araunah tried to give everything needed to him for free, but he refused. He insisted that he had to bear the cost. He gave the sacrifice and the disaster was immediately averted.
And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
The funny thing is that many non-Christians know this principle:that, in the face of impending doom or disaster, a really big sacrificial offering can avert it (). We as the children of the living God should follow David’s example and be ready to give a sacrificial offering, especially in troubled times.
May God help us - the true children of God to apply this principle in order to avert looming disasters, in Jesus’ name.
In , seventy thousand men had died from a pestilence that arose in Israel due to David conducting a census that displeased God. This was a big disaster and something had to be done immediately to stop it. They had prayed and, although God had stopped the angel that was spreading the plague, He did not recall him; the angel remained at the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite. This still meant trouble, so David’s seer - Gad decided that they should apply a principle to avert the disaster.
And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David wanted to make the sacrifice, Araunah tried to give everything needed to him for free, but he refused. He insisted that he had to bear the cost. He gave the sacrifice and the disaster was immediately averted.
And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
The funny thing is that many non-Christians know this principle:that, in the face of impending doom or disaster, a really big sacrificial offering can avert it (). We as the children of the living God should follow David’s example and be ready to give a sacrificial offering, especially in troubled times.
May God help us - the true children of God to apply this principle in order to avert looming disasters, in Jesus’ name.