A Willing Sacrifice

26 FEBRUARY

I will freely sacrifice unto Thee: I will praise Thy name, O LORD; for it is good. Psalm 54:6

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 1 Samuel 1

If deliverance is granted to David, he promises he will offer sacrifice and praise in gratitude. There can be no doubt here that David will return thanks to God in a formal manner when he has the opportunity to do so. 

Though God principally looks at the inward sentiment of the heart, he does not excuse the neglect of such rites that the law has prescribed. David promises to testify his appreciation of the favor that he received from God in the manner common to all the people of God. His sacrifice thus becomes the means of exciting others to their duty by his example.

He would also freely sacrifice. David does not allude here to the fact that sacrifices of thanksgiving were at the option of worshipers, but rather that he would pay his vow with alacrity and cheerfulness after he had escaped his present dangers. 

In general, men make big promises to God when they are under the pressure of affliction, but after they are under the pressure of affliction, but after they are rescued they soon relapse into the carelessness that is natural to them and forget the goodness of the Lord. But David truly promises to sacrifice freely and in another manner than the hypocrite, whose religion is the offspring of servility and constraint.

This passage teaches us that we cannot look for acceptance in the presence of God unless we also bring to His service a willing mind. 

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: It is easy to promise service and devotion when we need God's deliverance. But let us make sure that, by God's grace, we follow through with what we promised to demonstrate our thankfulness to God.

365 Days With Calvin 

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke