The word sacrifice means the act of offering something precious for the sake of something else by free will. It can also mean, to give up, desist, forsake or abandon something for another more important. Like when you decided to enter into fasting and prayer by abandoning food, water etc that is a sacrifice.
Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said, ask what shall I give you? – 1 Kings 3 : 4 – 5.
You don’t have to be presurise to make a sacrifice. It has to be a free will from your heart. When you give a sacrifice to God and it does’nt shake you that something has left you, that is not a sacrifice. A sacrifice that can move God most of the time, is the sacrifice that you feel the impact that something has left you or something has happened. Sacrifice can open doors that has been closed. It can bring healing to sickness that defy medical therapy. When Solomon offered such great sacrifice, God appeared to him.
All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king. And Araunah said to the king, may the Lord your God accept you. Then the king said to Araunah, no, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land and the plague was withdrawn from Isreal – 2 Samuel 24 : 23 – 25.
We have to honor God with something special. David refused to use what did not cost him nothing to offer sacrifice to God. How many of us today will jump and thank God for such offer that Araunah has offered to David because we will think that it is God that brought such to make the sacrifice easier because some of us don’t want to spend, even if we have the money, we prefer spending it for other purpose instead of spending it for God. At times we need to reject some free gift as children of God. After the sacrifice, God answered David’s prayer which seems not to have an answer.
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall and there was great indignation against Isreal. So they departed from him and returned to their own land – 2 Kings 3 : 26 – 27.
God will always respond to quality sacrifice. He will not hide His face from anyone who offer Him great sacrifice.
So the king gave the command and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, your God, whom you serve continaully, He will deliver you. Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed – Daniel 6 : 16 – 17.
Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke saying to Daniel. Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you – Daniel 6 : 18 – 22.
When you are being punish for the sake of the Lord unjustly, those that are against you will always come and rejoice the victory with you. Sheila Walsh said, ” living fearlessly is not the absence of fear, it’s the presence of God. What a difference that makes!”. This is a great sacrifice which Daniel has paid. God is ready to come to your rescue when everybody abandon you.
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnance and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up – Daniel 3 : 17 – 18.
King Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste the following morning and saw four people in the midst of the fire and he asked his counselors if they did not cast three men into the midst of the fire? He was astonished when he saw four men loose and walking in the midst of the fire and he said the fourth is like the sun of God (Daniel 3 : 24 – 25).
Any fire the enemy might put you into, God is ready to send His angel to turn the fire into air condition. No matter the trials you might be facing, always remember that God is by your side. This is another example of sacrifice.
Another sacrifice that has the greatest power is the one Jesus Christ performed for you and me through which we are no more slaves to sin and satan because His blood has redeemed us.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service – Romans 12 : 1.
Everlasting King, give us the grace to serve You without fear and obey Your commandment no matter the circumstances we might be facing in Jesus name.
osarobohenry 