The Cost of Disobedience

By John Madge

“On that day Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’ So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’ ‘To buy your threshing floor,’ David answered, ‘so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.’ Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.’ Araunah also said to him, ‘May the Lord your God accept you.’ But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.”—2 Samuel 24:18–25

At the beginning of 2 Samuel 24, King David commanded a census of the fighting men of Israel. At first glance, that may not seem sinful, since taking a census is a normal thing for leaders to do. However, according to God’s law in Exodus 30:11–16, whenever a census was taken, each person counted was required to bring a ransom offering to the Lord. This ransom was an atonement for the life of each Israelite, whose life belonged to God. The money collected was to be used specifically for “the tent of meeting,” which was the people’s place of worship.

David neglected this command. He counted the people as though their lives were his alone to command, and in doing so he robbed God of what was due Him. The consequences, which are spelled out in Exodus 30:11–16, were devastating. A plague swept through Israel, and seventy thousand people died. David’s sin fell upon the nation he was entrusted to lead.

When seeing the devastating effects of his disobedience, David humbled himself and sought God’s mercy. The prophet Gad instructed him to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah. When Araunah offered to give David the land and the animals for free, David refused: “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David understood he had already robbed God once by neglecting the census offering; he wouldn’t make the same mistake again by offering a cheap sacrifice.

Our disobedience always has ripple effects: on our families, our communities, and even generations after us. Like David, we sometimes minimize God’s commands or assume that skipping a “small detail” doesn’t matter. Yet God takes obedience seriously, because His commands are meant to protect us and keep our hearts aligned with Him.

Yet there’s hope despite the devastating consequences of disobedience and sin. David’s sin brought death to thousands, but his costly sacrifice brought an end to the plague. This sacrifice points us to Jesus Christ, who gave the ultimate costly sacrifice, His own life, to atone for our sins. Jesus’ sacrifice not only makes the payment for our sin (like the ransom offering collected in a census), but also removes the plague (the curse of sin and death over a believer’s life).

Here are a few questions for us to consider: Are we grateful to God for His redemptive work in our lives? Are we obedient to God in wholehearted worship and devotion? Do we think our lives belong to ourselves and not to God?

Pause: Are there areas where you may be withholding what rightfully belongs to God—your time, resources, or obedience?

Practice: What would it look like to give God a costly offering from your life today?

Pray: Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve robbed You of what’s Yours—when I’m not grateful for how You’ve redeemed me. Thank You Jesus paid the ultimate price so I could be forgiven and live in freedom. Amen.