2 Samuel 24:24, Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15-16
Worship That Costs Nothing
When King David was offered the threshing floor of Araunah as a free gift on which to build an altar, he refused:
But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing." — 2 Samuel 24:24
David understood something profound about worship: it must cost something to be genuine. Worship that costs nothing is worth nothing — it is not worship at all, merely religious performance.
Sacrifice at the Heart of Worship
From the very beginning of Scripture, sacrifice and worship are inseparably linked. Abel brought the firstborn of his flock — the best, not the leftovers. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar of worship. The entire sacrificial system of Israel was built into the centre of their worship.
Sacrifice in worship serves several purposes:
It expresses the seriousness of sin. The death of the animal was a vivid reminder that sin carries a cost — that it cannot be addressed without blood. Every sacrifice pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
It demonstrates the priority of God. To sacrifice something valuable is to declare, in the most concrete way possible, that God is more important than the thing sacrificed. It is putting your money — or your animal, or your time, or your comfort — where your mouth is.
It cultivates genuine worship. There is something about giving up something valuable that engages the heart in a way that costless religion never does. When worship costs us something, we tend to mean it.
The New Testament Sacrifice of Worship
The New Testament does not abolish the connection between worship and sacrifice — it transforms it. Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice, so animal sacrifices are finished. But Paul calls believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), and the writer of Hebrews calls the church to offer:
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. — Hebrews 13:15-16
The sacrifice of praise, doing good, and generous sharing — these are the worship sacrifices of the new covenant.
What Costly Worship Looks Like Today
Costly worship might look like:
- Giving generously of financial resources — worship that touches the wallet
- Prioritising gathered worship over competing demands — worship that costs time and convenience
- Serving in areas of genuine need rather than only comfortable ones
- Forgiving those who have wronged us — a sacrifice of pride and self-protection